Treasure Planet 2: Land of Lost Souls ON HIATUS
by Swamp Fairy
Summary: Amelia and Doppler are still in love limbo. Jim struggles with his boredom at the academy. BEN misses his best friend. Silver is lonely. And then a charming ex-flame shows up, throwing them all together again for an adventure even bigger than their last.
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings! Welcome to my world of death, decay and despair... Okay, not really. This is the beginning of a sequel to Treasure Planet, minus the last few minutes of the movie (Because really. As much as we all love Amelia, who can see her cooking and cleaning and wearing normal clothes, pushing around baby carriages with her husband on her arm? Oh, you can? Well then, you have a much better imagination than me.) Anyways. Focuses more on Amelia and Doppler than the first one, but plenty of the other characters, too, I promise. Oh yeah, and I own nada.**

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**Dock:**

"I wanted to... erm.. well, I wanted to talk to you," said the Doctor, pulling Amelia away from the crowd. He briefly caught Sarah's eye, and when he was sure that she saw him, pulled the captain off to the left.

"And I you," she responded, still holding her side. "You first."

"I was wandering... ah, that is to say, wondering... yes, wondering... I was wondering if maybe, perhaps, after you've sought medical attention, if you would like to... if you would consent to... there are some delightful restaurants around, and..."

Laughing, she cut him off. "Are you trying- and failing, may I add- to ask me on a date?"

"Yes," he said, looking very relieved. "Yes I am."

"While I believe that I would quite enjoy it," she said, "I am already scheduled for another trip." Upon seeing his crestfallen face, she added, "And that bring us to our next order of business. In the light of the death of Mr. Arrow, I have a recently vacated spot for first mate, and I was hoping you would consider joining my crew."

"What... what would that entail?" he asked, astonished and rather flattered. But to think of it practically...

"Long hours and little pay," she admitted. "But the best possible adventures and explorations one could dream of."

_And more time with the captain, _he added silently. But she knew his soft spots and she had him hooked. "How long do I have to consider?" he asked.

"Oh, a good... let's see, then... a good thirty seconds."

"Well then, I'd be honored to accept."

"Delbert!" Sarah exclaimed, rushing over to him and giving him a brief hug. "How was it? All that you had hoped for?"

"And more," he said. "Sarah, meet Amelia, captain of the ship I hired. Captain, this is Sarah, mother of Jim and a long-standing friend."

"Pleased to meet you," Amelia said, seizing Sarah's handing and shaking it rather hard. "You have a wonderful son. Now, I would like to find a hospital quickly so I have time to prepare for my next voyage."

"Why?" asked Sarah. "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing major. We were hit by an energy blast fired from a cannon by my revolting, mutinous crew while falling from the sky in a longboat, which then crashed, leaving us stranded on an alien planet that blew up in the end. Now, Doctor, if you would be so kind as to point the way..."

"You have a lot of explaining to do, young man," Sarah threatened as she and Jim started after the other two. But Sarah dropped back slightly, to talk with her son without being overheard.

"How old is the captain?" she asked.

Jim shrugged. "No idea. Younger than you, older than me."

"She... she's rather pretty, isn't she?"

"I suppose so," Jim answered.

"But do keep in mind how old she is, and-"

"Wait," Jim said, cutting her off. "You think... you think she and I... No, no, no, no, _no_. Not at all. Besides, she and the doc have got it going on."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Sarah muttered.

**Hospital:**

"It's not too bad," said the nurse studying Amelia. "A lightly fractured rib. Painful, but heals quickly. I'd advise taking it easy for a few weeks, not taking off your bandage, and using a walking stick whenever possible, though."

Delbert snorted. "That's likely."

Amelia glared at him. "Thank you, Miss. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be off."

"Now that," said the nurse. "Is completely out of the question. You can stay here tonight while I bandage that up and make sure that is only a fractured rib and nothing worse."

"Now see here," exclaimed the Captain, rising to her full height. But just then, she was hit by a wave of pain, forcing her to collapse back onto the bed. She held her jacket tighter around, scowling out the ground.

"It's just one night," the nurse said gently. "Now, I'll be in another room. And don't," she added to Sarah, "let her leave."

As soon as she exited, Amelia was complaining. "That's a night of my life wasted. Another voyage in a week, and I need time to prepare!"

"No, you don't," said the doctor firmly. "You need to get better."

"Shove off," she muttered at him.

Now Jim spoke up. "What happened to 'you have wonderful eyes, doctor?'" he asked, doing a rather poor impression of her.

"I was out of my mind wasn't I?" she asked, and all three dissolved into laughter as Sarah looked on, slightly befuddled.

"Time to go, Jim. Delbert, do you mind if we impose on you until we get our inn rebuilt?"

"Not at all, not at all. Captain, if you need a place to stay until the next voyage, my house is always open."

"I shall take that into consideration, doctor," she said, settling down on the bed. As Jim headed out, Delbert paused for a moment, then, to Sarah's great delight, darted over and placed a quick kiss on her cheek, both of them blushing furiously. Without another word, he hurried out after Jim. Sarah, still smiling, brought up the rear.

**The Doctor's House:**

"So," Sarah said. "I want to here the whole story. From the looks of the captain, it was rather exciting."

"I got the gold, though, didn't I?" Jim cut in, exchanging a look with the doctor. _Don't let her know more than she needs to, because she'll fry us both._

"Yes," she said suspiciously. "But I want to hear the whole story."

And they told her their tale, albeit an edited version of it, filling in for each other. Of course, there were some parts the captain would have been better off telling, but they made do, and Sarah looked reasonably satisfied afterwards.

"I just have one more question," she said, smiling slyly at Delbert. "What about you and the captain?"

"What?" he exclaimed, growing increasingly flustered with each word. "Nothing! There's nothing between us. I mean, she's beautiful and smart and capable and amazing and I'm... I'm me." As he finished, he dropped his head into his hands, realizing that he had just dug himself a pretty deep hole.

"Oh, Delbert," Sarah said, gently laying a hand on his arm. "If she's got any sense at all, she'll realize what a wonderful man you are."

"You think so?" he asked, looking up hopefully. "Oh! I forgot! Because of the death of her first mate, Mr. Arrow-"

"You left out any deaths," Sarah put in.

"Right, because we left out the supernova," Jim said.

"What supernova?" she screeched.

"She offered me his vacated position," finished Delbert.

"You're her first mate?" asked Jim, delighted. "Congrats!"

"And still you say there's nothing going on between you," Sarah added, smirking.

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**Well? How'd I do? It starts out a little slow, I know, but it'll get exciting pretty fast. Is it worth continuing? Review, pretty please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews! Loved them very much. Oh, and I got a MOST entertaining review from Secret Feline with her take on Jim and Delbert telling their story to Sarah, so here it is.**

**Delbert: We got on the ship-  
Jim: Then we were sailing to TP-  
Delbert: When we got there-  
Jim: Before that, the crew turned aganst us-  
Delbert: We got the gold-  
Jim: The planet exploded but-  
Delbert: We survived and then-  
Jim: We sailed back-  
Delbert & Jim: The End!  
Sarah: Good thing it wasn't very dangerous.  
Delbert & Jim: You wish...**

**Anywho. Here we go. It starts six days after their arrival back home.**

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**The Doctor's House:**

A loud knock rang out at the door. Groaning, Jim rolled over, glaring at his clock. 3 in the morning. He stumbled out of bed, fell down the stairs, and took several minutes fumbling with the latch before managing to get the door open. A brief 'Jimmy!' A flash of light, and hard metal limbs were sticking uncomfortably into his back and legs.

"BEN," he moaned. "How did you get here?" They had left the robot on his home planet of Neo, a desolate place near Montessor, filled almost completely with machines.

"Nothing can keep me away from my Jimmy! I just hired a private investigator to track you down."

"Jim?" The Doctor emerged from the hallway, looking as sleep befuddled as Jim had only a minute ago. "Who is it?"

"BEN," he answered.

"What?" Amelia asked, poking her head out of her own room. "What's going on?"

"Doctor, Captain," BEN said, taking a sweeping bow. "Nice to see you again. I would take my hat off, but I lost it with my mind... Speaking of which, Jimmy found it for me! Isn't it marvelous? My hat, unfortunately, is lost forever..." He trailed off, deep in thought.

"Jim?" Sarah tripped down the stairs, missing the last five. She landed in a very confused Doctor Doppler's arms, who had been stretching and not expecting a woman to come flying into them.

"BEN," Jim said for a third time. "Mom, we found him on Treasure Planet. He had been marooned there for a hundred years."

"Is that all? I'm going back to sleep, and, though I know it's difficult, I would greatly appreciate it if you all could try to keep down the racket." Amelia's head disappeared back in her room.

Doppler deposited Sarah and, without another word, drifted back into his own room.

"This is my mom," Jim finished.

"Thrilled to meet you!" BEN exclaimed, nearly shaking her hand out of its socket. "Any friend of Jimmy's is a friend of mine!"

"Wonderful," she muttered. "Reintroduce us in the morning."

She disappeared back up the stairs.

"I think... Um... I think," Jim said. "I think there's an empty room at the end of the hall. Feel free to..." But the eager robot was already skipping up the stairs, bellowing out a very off-key show tune. Running his hand through his tousled hair, Jim followed his friend up the stairs and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

**The Doctor's House, the Next Morning:**

Amelia was the first up, as always, but even she looked slightly disgruntled. Whenever Sarah looked at BEN fear would flash across her face, unchecked. She was to be alone with him for several months. The robot, however, seemed completely oblivious to all the trouble he had caused, making himself right at home by promptly overturning the breakfast table, covering a very dangerous Captain with jam. After staring at him, mouth open and murder in her eyes, for a few moments, Amelia spun on her heel to go change.

"You forgot your-" Delbert started loudly, but the door slammed closed behind her. "Walking stick," he finished.

"Well," Sarah said, tears in her eyes. "Today is your big day, Jim. Off to the academy."

"Mom, I'll be okay," he said, giving her a quick hug.

"I know you will. It's just hard..."

"I'll come up and visit whenever I have the chance," he promised. "And we'll talk to each other all the time. You have to keep me updated on the Benbow!"

"Wonderfully touching," Amelia interrupted, emerging, clean, from her room, "But wouldn't it be better to save all this stomach-turning mush for the spaceport?"

**RLS Bender, Montressor Spaceport:**

"Study hard, Jim, my boy," Delbert said, clapping a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"But try to have a little fun while you're there," Amelia added. "I'm sure you'll do marvelous."

"Thanks," Jim said, smiling at his friends. "I will." He turned to his mother and enveloped her in a slightly tearful hug.

"You just got back," Sarah whispered, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'm so proud of you."

"Me too!" BEN exclaimed, wrapping both of them in a hug that lifted the humans off their feet.

"Okay, thank you, BEN, but mother-son moment going on here," Jim gently reprimanded.

"Right. Riiiiiiight," he said, stepping back. He leaned his head in close to the captain's and whispered confidentially, "A mother son moment."

Morph popped up between them, jittering excitedly. He changed into a mini-Jim, complete with naval suit, frozen in a salute.

"Yes," said Sarah, laughing. "Take care of him, Morph." She stood back with the other three and waved to her son as he and the little pink blob climbed aboard their ship. She and BEN were both crying, but Jim's face was clean as he waved to them. A horn sounded, the sails were raised, and the ship sailed away.

**RLS Destiny, Montessor Spaceport:**

"Could be worse," the Captain observed, staring up at her new ship, the RLS Destiny. "Could be better, but could be worse." Actually, it couldn't really be better. It looked brand new and perfect. The sails were of best technology, without a single tear, and the connecting ropes were sturdy. The engine was of very high power, and the thrusters looked as though they had never been used. The deck was clean and even, making it difficult for even the doctor to find something to trip over.

"Who's the financier of this mission, and what's it for?" asked Delbert.

"Oh, some rich old bat by the name of Liliana Smithers. Apparently her son just died and she wants to visit the Land of Lost Souls to try and visit him."

Delbert let out a short bark of laughter. "The Land of Lost Souls? Really? And is she convinced that it exists?"

"Come now, doctor," she said, a smile playing around her lips. "That was my reaction when I heard that you wanted to sail to Treasure Planet."

"Right, right," he said, calming down. "Look, here comes the rest of the crew."

"Hopefully they'll be better than those filthy mutinous pirates _you_ hired. But by the look of the ship, they will be."

"Do you need to-" Delbert waved a vague hand up at the sails.

"No, my dear. This ship is as close to perfect as possible. Now lets go meet the others."

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**Remember that 'charming ex-flame' I mentioned in the summary? Well, here he comes. The good doctor had better get ready for some competition... Anyways, the sections shouldn't be so short anymore, if there even are sections for most chapters. But all that is in the future. For now, please, REVEIW!!!!!!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm going to alternate between Amelia/Doppler and Jim for now, with a little bit of BEN and Silver in the mix. Don't worry, they'll all be together again soon and we'll stop switching views. Oh, and I don't own Treasure Planet. Duh. Thanks so much for all the reviews!!!**

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**RLS Destiny, Deck:**

"Now, doctor," the captain instructed, fixing his stance. "Stand up straight-"

"Ow!"

"Hands behind your back-"

"I can manage myself!"

"Chest out-"

"Now, really, Captain!"

"Head held high-"

"Enough is enough!"

"And please," she added, tapping his nose fondly. "Do try not to embarrass yourself too badly. Here they come."

Still smarting from her adjustments, Doppler remained silent, letting Amelia give each new member a brief nod and introduction. They were mostly human, with a few candids, felids, and other unrecognizable species mixed in. As Amelia had predicted, they looked trim, fit, and well groomed. As they boarded the ship, each nodded politely and said his name. Doppler didn't remember a single one.

As more and more arrived, the doctor stopped paying attention. The captain was handling them fine. Instead, Delbert let his thoughts drift up to the stars far, far above. Who knew where they would sail? No planet was unreachable, no dream unattainable. He smiled, remembering his excitement right before Treasure Planet, upon seeing the Legacy. Some things didn't change.

He was startled out of his reverie by a different sort of greeting.

"Amelia Smollet!" a man exclaimed. Delbert turned, smirking, eager to see what the captain would do to the person who dared address her with such familiarity. But to his surprise, Amelia threw her arms around his neck. The stranger spun around, lifting the felid into the air before setting him back down. With an unpleasant twinge in his stomach that could only be described as jealousy, the doctor took in the newcomer. He was a human, relatively tall and extremely well-built. He had tousled blond hair and sparking blue eyes. He was wearing a most peculiar suit, that seemed appropriate for either a dinner party or muddy, hands-on work. He had an accent similar to the captain's.

"Edward, what are you doing here? Not part of my crew again, are you?"

"Afraid so, my dear. Oh, Amy, it has been far too long."

_Amy._ No one called the captain Amy. _No one._

"As well as can be expected under the circumstances, I suppose. And you?"

"Not too shabby. Listen, I heard about Arrow. I'm very sorry. He was a good friend and a good man."

"He was," she said sadly, her eyes turning slightly misty.

"And in the light of his death, I was wondering if you'd consider offering me my old post."

"Ah," she said. "I was hoping you would ask, my friend. It appears an introduction is in order." She turned to the doctor. "Edward, this is Doctor Doppler, my new first mate. Doctor, this is Edward Namour."

**RLS Legacy: Captain's Quarters:**

Much to Doppler's displeasure, Amelia had invited both him and Namour to dinner in her private quarters, and the doctor didn't like the free, familiar way he paced through the room, touching anything.

"New globe?" he inquired.

"Yes, actually," Amelia said. "The good doctor destroyed my other one on our last voyage." She sent Delbert a teasing smile, lifting his spirits slightly. "He didn't quite know how to use the gun."

Edward chuckled, then asked, "But I thought you said he was your new first mate."

"He is. But first he was my financier. He hired me to sail himself and a friend to Treasure Planet."

"Good lord," he said, laughing. "And did you actually find it?"

"Yes," Delbert interrupted, glaring at the other man. Namour sobered.

"But that's a story for another day. Do sit down."

The two men took seats, glaring surreptitiously at each other. "So, doctor," Namour started. "How much sailing experience have you had?"

"Well... actually, the journey to treasure planet was my first," he admitted.

"You can't be serious," said Namour, switching his disbelieving gaze to Amelia. "One voyage?"

"I trust him with my life," she said stiffly. "Which is more important than any amount of experience." But then her face softened, and she added, "You, I must say, had both the experience _and_ my trust. Which is why, Edward, I'm going to ask you to teach him the ropes of the business."

"What?" they demanded simaltaneously.

"I don't need his help!" the doctor protested.

"I don't want some no-nothing following me around!" the sailor argued.

"I escaped a supernova, a blackhole, _and_ an exploding planet!"

"I want the job myself, why should I help him?"

"It's not fair!" they both wailed.

The captain sat perfectly still, smiling peacefully as they complained. But just then, a knock rang out on the door, interrupting the staring contest going on between the two men.

"Ah," said Amelia, jumping up. "That must be our financier now."

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**Next chapter's Jim, so you'll just have to wait to meet Miss Liliana Smithers. But she'll be worth the wait, I promise. Now. What did you think? Please, please, please, PLEASE review!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay! Chapter 4! Unfortunately, I'm returning to the h*ll the government calls school tomorrow, so no more speedy updates. At least once a week, though, just not 4 in a week. Anyways. On to Jim.**

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**RLS Bender, Deck:**

It was a beautiful night out. The setting sun painted a vibrant watercolor of purple and pink over the water shimmering far below. The stars peeked out, growing brighter and brighter as they pulled farther away from the planet. The various moons and planets competed with each other, each trying to shine the brightest. Jim took this all in, leaning over the naval figurehead on the front of the ship.

"It's beautiful," he whispered to Morph.

"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!" the pink blob squeaked, then changed into Silver's head.

"Yeah, little buddy," Jim said sadly. "I miss him too. I wonder where he is now."

"Who are you talking to?" a voice asked at his ear. He jumped, turning around to see a blond human girl, about his age.

"What?" he asked, running his fingers through her hair, leaning casually back against the wood.

She smirked. "Um-hm. I said, who are you talking to?"

"You," he replied coyly. "And what's your name?"

"Emma," she said. "Emma Jumo. And you?"

"Jim Hawkins," he answered. "You're going to the Interstellar Naval Academy?"

She shrugged. "I kinda have to. It's the only school I got a scholarship for, and-" But she broke off, looking embarrassed.

"Hey, that's cool," he said. "There's no shame in not owning a planet and a half."

But she flared up. "I wouldn't expect you to understand!" She turned on her heel and flounced away. Morph imitated her, making Jim laugh as he turned back to the stars.

"Girls," he said. "Yeesh."

**Interstellar Academy, Dock:**

The ships RLS Bender pulled into the dock at the Academy in early afternoon. As the new students piled out, they stared up at the massive building in awe. It was self-sustaining, not on a planet, built around the orbit of a near-by sun. It was a huge collection of metal buildings and docks, attached by walkways connecting them all. It was all over- up and down, side to side, a giant tangled mess of pipes.

"Wow," Jim murmured, swinging his bag up over his shoulder. A woman strode up to their group, a candid. Aside from her species, however, she was fairly reminiscent of Amelia. Jim smiled. The abrupt captain would fit in perfectly here. Distantly, he wondered why she had left the navy.

"Welcome to the Interstellar Naval Academy," she said brusquely. "I'm Captain Sierra, and I'm to give you the tour. Please stay close, pay attention, and hold onto the handrails while on the walkways." She led the way into the building so quickly that some of the younger teens had to trot to keep up.

"This is the mess hall," she was saying, and Jim had to force himself to pay attention. "You'll be eating in here. Across from it is the study hall, in which _no_ talking will be tolerated. Down the hall there is the library, and out there is the gravity-simulation court yard."

The rooms all seemed huge, filled with older students who barely paused to glance up at the newcomers. Morph buzzed along by Jim, seemingly as amazed as he was. Sierra led them across their first walk-way, and it was a strange feeling. They had some artificial gravity, but a much lower amount, so each step was more like a jump. He understood why they wanted you to hold onto the handrails, it would awful to step too hard and go flying up into the Etherium.

"This is the dorm section, at least for students your age. Boys on the right, girls on the left. You can check your cabin assignments later. Across this walkway is one of the classroom portions of the building. You're going to want maps, believe me. For the first day or two, teachers won't be too strict about lateness, but after that... well, let's just say that we have all sorts of chores for you to do. Now, go check your assignments and get settled in. Dinner is ay 7 sharp. Tomorrow, your lessons begin."

She turned and strode away. The students stood silently for a moment, then collectively hurried over to the board.

"Room 21-a," Jim said, smiling down at Morph. "This should be fun."

**Longboat, Far Reaches of Space:**

"A bottle o' rum, love, a bottle o' rum,

Every man deserves even a bottle o' rum," Silver trailed off mournfully. The old sea shanty fell flat against the dark reaches of space.

"You really did it this time, didn'tcha, Silver?" he asked. "Thousands of miles from anything, no sun to power your sails, no food or drink... don't know how to get out of this one, old man."

He heaved his legs over the edge with a grunt, just for a change of posture. He had no idea how long it had been since his longboat had come to a juddering halt in the middle of nowhere, far from any light to power his sails. He had run out of food... actually, he had no idea how long ago, but long enough for the empty feeling in his belly to have turned into constant shooting pangs of hunger, his throat swollen and parched.

"What to do?" he asked himself softly. "No one knows where you are. No one cares."

For one desperate moment, he thought of his Jimbo. But Jim was at the Academy, now, wasn't he? Not likely to think of a lonely old cyborg.

"Nothing to do," he answered himself, leaning back and staring up at the unchanging darkness. "Nothing to do but hope and pray."

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**Don't worry, Jim's not going to get a girlfriend (unless anyone actually wants him too). I just figured it would be fun to have him flirting. Anyways... You see that little green button? The one that says review? Click on it. Come on, it's lonely!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 is here! Thanks for all the reviews, and I'm glad that you all agree with me that Jim does NOT need a love life.**

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**The Doctor's House:**

BEN heaved an enormous sigh, staring soulfully out the rainy window. Footsteps echoed on the stairs behind him, then a voice. "BEN... will you come... help me with this?"

Sarah was struggling along under an enormous load of books.

"Watcha doing?" he asked dejectedly.

"Trying to reorganize... some of the doctor's junk..." she panted, leaning against the wall. "I didn't think there were this many books in the world."

BEN sighed again, even more dramatically, turning back to the window. It had been raining ever since Jim left for the Academy, leaving BEN and Sarah alone, which was, admittedly, rather tiresome for the woman.

"I miss Jimmy," he moaned. "Where, oh where are you, up among the stars?"

"I'm sure he's right where he's supposed to be," Sarah interrupted sharply. "Now, are you going to come help me with these or not?"

"Oh," he moaned, swooning, hand held to his forehead. "Oh, I don't know if I can make it without my Jimmy!" He toppled into Sarah's arms, sending the books flying. As she unceremoniously dumped him on the ground and began collecting the books, she muttered, "And I don't know if I can make it with you."

**RLS Destiny, Captain's Quarters:**

A moment of silence overcame the room, hanging heavy with anticipation, as Amelia went to the door. She shot them back an odd, knowing smirk. "You two ready?" she asked. Then, before they could respond, she opened the door, and the woman fell in.

Delbert's first thought was that she looked like a tea cake. She was short and extremely rotund, puffing under her own weight. She was wearing an enormous, poofy red dress that billowed out around her with every tottering step she took. She was wearing bright red lipstick which was in stark contrast with the pale powder she had used on the rest of her face, although her eye make up was extremely dark.

"Oh, the traffic coming up here was terrible!" she moaned, collapsing in Amelia's recently vacated seat and swinging her meaty feet up on the table. "Such reckless, awful drivers! They're going to be the death of me someday. Is the ship ready to go? It had better be! I want to talk to my son as soon as possible! Such a brave, wonderful boy. You'll like him, I know. Hopefully we'll find him soon, if the weather isn't too bad. It shouldn't be, have you been reading the forecasts? Of course you have, you're the captain, silly me!" She let out a tinkering laugh. Doppler stared at her, confused and amazed.

"Oho," she exclaimed, seeing the two men. "And who are they? Your little boyfriends? How adorable. They look decent enough. Not as strong as my son, of course. He worked out for two hours every day. Every day, without missing a single one, even on Christmas. He was always so determined. Wonderful trait, must of got that one from his father. My ex, you know. The fourth one. I had three after them, but since my son died, I've been alone. It's not too bad. Oh, I miss him, of course, but I still have my music... I used to be an opera singer, you know. I was one of the best! I haven't done much singing lately, of course, but I still listen to my good old tapes..."

"And I'm sure you used to be wonderful," Amelia interrupted, a small, amused smirk on her face. "But now, if you don't mind, it's getting late, and I'd like to cast off."

"Of course, of course," she burbled. "Silly me. I'll let you all get to work and try to stay out of the way. Of course, if there's anything I can do to help, I would be thrilled. My son was quite interested in astronomy and sailing, he was, and I-"

But Amelia cut her off. "Of course," she said politely. "We'll be sure to let you know."

Smithers insisted on pinching Dopplers' cheeks before letting him, Amelia, and Namour out of the room.

"Why, doctor," Amelia said in his ear. "I do believe she is worse than you."

**RLS Destiny, Deck:**

Doppler was proud to say that he didn't go flying off his feet as the boat took off this time. Of course, that was only because Namour and the Captain each had one of his arms, holding him down. He didn't miss the exasperated, wry look they exchanged over his head. And he didn't like it.

He leaned over the side of the boat, resting his head on his hands and studying the pattern of stars up in the sky, thinking about the felid captain and Namour. He didn't like or trust the man, but the captain obviously did. And when had she ever been wrong?

"Hey," a gruff voice called from behind him. He turned around. It was one of the grizzled old humans, by the name of Jack. The cook, if Doppler remembered correctly.

"Jack," the doctor greeted formally.

"My name is John," he scowled. "And I just wanted to suggest that you go below deck. We're gonna be passing through a sulforous cloud soon, and I'd advise not being up here when it hits."

"Oh my," said the doctor. "That's not good!" He followed John down below.

"So, have you heard the buzz?" asked the cook conversationally.

"What buzz?"

"About our Captain and Edward."

The doctor felt his stomach drop. "What about them?"

"Well, apparently they have some history. He was her first mate for a year or so, and they got... emotionally involved," he smirked. "They were close. Actually, they were more than close. But then he disappeared. Just gone. A week later, she got a letter from him with some excuse about not wanting to 'commit' to anything yet. They kept in correspondence for several months, then gradually stopped. They haven't seen each other until now, and old sparks seem to be flying."

Just then, as if to prove his point, Amelia and Namour emerged from the stairwell. His arm was bent, her arm resting in it. As they talked and laughed, they looked for all the world like a normal couple, oblivious to the rest of the world. Scowling, Doppler turned and walked away.

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**Sorry for the wait! It was under a week, at least, but I'll try to get the next one up sooner. Thanks for reading!!! R&R!!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Awesomness! 6 is up!!! Thanks to everyone for reviewing, I think this is the most reviews per chapter I've ever gotten... Love y'all!**

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**Interstellar Naval Academy, Room 21-A:**

Jim sighed, ploping his bag down on his bed. There were three beds in the room, each with a cabinet and desk. No one else was there yet, so Jim took the moment to stretch out, looking around curiously. Morph flitted through the room, in and out of drawers, over and under beds, and right into the face of the boy stepping into the room.

"Ewww!" the kid whined. He looked about Jim's age, but scrawny and weak. He wiped plaintively at Morph, who drifted, laughing, off his face. 'What is it?"

"It's Morph," Jim said, rubbing the under its... well... sort of under its chin. "And I'm Jim. Jim Hawkins." He held out his hand to shake, but the boy rejected it.

"I'm Richard," he said in his nasal voice. "You can call me Richey."

"You can call me Jim," joked Jim. But Richard just stared at him, confused. Just then, the door swung open again, hitting him in the back and sending him flying. A mountain of a kid lumbered in, staring around with dumb, dull eyes. It- he- dropped his bag on the bed.

"Hi," said Richard, picking himself up. "I'm Richard, but you can call me-"

"Rob," the thing interrupted loudly, scratching itself. Jim couldn't tell if he was human or stone.

"This should be fun," Jim muttered to himself. Richard smiled brightly and exclaimed, "We're going to be such good friends!"

**Interstellar Academy, Study Hall:**

The first day had passed relatively smoothly. He was late for almost every class, but all the kids were, and the teachers didn't count it against them- yet. The teachers were the strict sort, ready to hand out punishments at a moments notice. The kids were a mix. A couple weirdos, a couple nerds, a couple jocks, a couple jerks... no one Jim thought he'd be friends with.

Though it was only the first day, they had certainly piled on the homework. Jim groaned softly, looking at the towering stack of books on his desk. He banged his head down.

"Having a hard time?" a soft, musical voice asked. He was up straight in a heartbeat, flashing a half-smile at the girl who had spoken. Her black hair floated in a cloud around her face, her green eyes soft.

"Yeah," he said. "Can't believe the teachers would give us so much on the first day!"

"You'll get used to it," she advised. "As they say. School, social life, and sleep: chose two of the three."

"Hm," he said, pretending to think. "I guess I can go without sleep for a couple months." She let out a light, tinkling laugh, interrupted by the cold voice of the teacher.

"James Hawkins!" she barked. "What part of 'not talking' do you not understand? Get up here now!"

He walked to the front of the room, cheeks burning. Every eye on the room was on him.

"Now, young man," she said. "I want you to compose a three page essay- single space, black ink, no spelling mistakes- on why it was _so important_ that you talk, and why you are never going to do it again."

He groaned inwardly; with all the other homework he had? He was going to suffocate under it all.

"Yes, ma'm," he said dejectedly. This was not what he had imagined. Not at all.

**Longboat, Far Reaches of Space:**

Silver was giving up hope. There was no time out here, just an endless, black blanket, enveloping him so he could barely see his own hand in front of his face. He had given up talking, his throat was too dry. He lay back in the boat, staring up at the stars twinkling, too far away, and thinking. He was remembering the good times in his life. Especially Jimbo. Even the thought of the boy could bring a smile to his face.

Just then, blinding lights emerged from the surrounding darkness. For a brief moment, he thought he'd gone crazy, or at least was hallucinating. But no, he could feel his ship shaking beneath him from the air current. He was up on his feet in seconds, arms waving wildly in the air, shouting, "Oy! Help! Over here!"

The ship changed course, moving slowly over towards him. Relief spread through his body. It didn't matter who was on the ship. He was being rescued.

A rope dropped down the side and Silver clambered up, resolving to lose some weight. He heaved himself over the side, panting heavily. He stared up into the face of his rescuer, ready to say thank you. Then he recognized the alien.

"Amir!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in jail after the Treasure Planet fiasco!"

"I was," the body replied coldly, hands on its hips. Silver briefly wondered where the head creature was. They were usually together. "But we escaped."

"Who's we?" asked Silver.

"All of us who were arrested," Amir answered. "Plus a few old friends. It was simple, really. We just had to knock out the guard as he passed by and steal his keys."

"Well, I'm glad for ye, matey," Silver said nervously.

"Yessss, well, I can't help but wondering where you were while we were rotting in that basement."

"Eh, about that," he started.

"Who is it, Amir?" asked Tom, the tentacle head, emerging from the stairs.

"Old Long John Silver," answered the body. "Fished 'im out of the Etherium."

"Really?" asked the head as Amir lifted him on top of him. "Well, I'll be darned. I thought for sure you were off with that kid, telling 'im bed time stories and tossin' a ball around."

"No, no," Silver said hastily, sensing he was in trouble. "No, I've been off on my own since then, until me ship broke down out here, and ye lot rescued me. For which I am very grateful, by the way. Very grateful."

"I'm sure you are," sneered Tom. "I suppose you could be of some use to us. You were always handy to have around."

"Thanks, I suppose," Silver said. "And what be you planning to do?"

"We're going to take them down," declared Amir. "All of them that got us arrested, starting with the kid."

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**Meh. All in all, not one of my better chapters. Oh well. More Namour coming up! Oh, and I'm sorry about the lame alien names. If you have any ideas for the rest of the crew, please let me know!!! R&R, please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Darn it! I just missed the one week mark! I'm sorry, everybody! Well, here on out the going should get easier. Exams are done, I'll have more time to write... anyways. I hope you enjoy!**

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**The Doctor's House:**

BEN decided to go on his hunger strike the second week Jim was gone.

"I can't do it anymore!" he wailed dramatically. "I just want it all to end!"

"But BEN," Sarah had argued. "You're a robot! You don't even need to eat!"

Well, it was the thought that counts, wasn't it? So BEN locked himself in his room, choosing to converse under the door through melodramatic sighs. He spent most of his time lying on his bed and trying to look dignified while wasting away. He did work very hard on his will, however, leaving everything he owned (not much) to his 'bestest friend in the whole wide world, Jimmy, even though he abandoned me.'

Meanwhile, life was progressing nicely for Sarah. The team of builders she had fired were performing spectacularly, and the Benbow was growing taller and taller everyday. She missed her son, of course, but she was proud of what a brave, strong young man he was turning into. "So like his father," she would sigh, staring into the flames in the doctor's fireplace. It grew quite lonely, with the only company locked in his room, singing depressing opera songs. But her son wrote her quite often, and BEN, too, though BEN refused to read the letters. "If he wanted to talk to me, he would come home," the robot stubbornly announced.

**RLS Destiny, Deck:**

Amelia was... well, to put it lightly, apprehensive, at first, about Namour being on her ship again. She had trusted him before, and gotten hurt. Who was to say this time would be any different? But the second he was on the ship, she knew. He was the same old Edward. He knew just what to say, what to do, to worm into the little cracks in the shell around her heart. He was able to make her laugh like no one else could, make her laugh and smile and feel special. Was that what love was? Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but she had the feeling it was the closest she would ever get.

"I missed you," Edward said seriously, staring deep into her eyes. Oh, he had such glorious eyes. A deep, rich, chocolate brown... she severed the contact, blinking quickly and turning away. Did she want to make the same mistakes as last time? She stared out at the nearest moon.

"I understand why you might not trust me," he pressed. "But I'm different now. I never truly appreciated what a treasure I had found in you, what an absolute gem. I let you slip through my fingers, but I won't make the same mistake twice."

She let a wry smile creep onto her lips. "But isn't that exactly what you're asking me to do? Make the same mistake twice?" She turned around, and he was too close. Much too close. But this time, backed up against the side of the ship, she couldn't move. Did she want to?

"It won't be a mistake this time," he said. "I promise you that. Amy. Look into my eyes." He placed a gentle hand under her chin, tilting her face up. Blast him. He knew his eyes were her weak spot.

"Edward," she protested softly. "I... I... I have a ship to run."

"That didn't stop you last time, now did it?"

"That was completely different," she argued. "I was younger, and naive, and much more foolish, and-"

"And so was I!" he exclaimed. "But we're not anymore! I'm able to commit now! This is not a joke to me, Amy. I want this to be forever."

"Forever," she murmured, melting. "Edward, you abuse your power over women quite terribly."

"Only my power over you." He smiled slightly, closing the space between them. She closed her eyes, lifting her face up to meet his. But just as she could feel his breath wafting across her lips, a loud cough interrupted them. She leapt away from Namour as if burned, spinning to face the intruder.

"What do you wa- oh, it's you," she said, relaxing slightly as she saw the doctor. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," he muttered sullenly, staring at the ground. Great, now he was jealous. Just what she needed. She didn't know whether to slap him, Edward, or herself. "It's not important."

"Tosh," she said impatiently. "Of course it is or you wouldn't have come find me."

He simply shook his head, turning to walk away. She glanced between him and Namour.

"We'll talk later," she said, then turned to chase after her first mate. "Doppler. Wait!"

He finally turned, anger and hurt evident over his face. She fought down a pang of guilt. She had been a bit misleading, hadn't she? But then again, she had never promised him... or anyone else, for that matter... anything. But nonetheless, he was a good man and a good friend, and she hated being the one to cause the unhappiness etched across his face.

"What did you want?" she asked.

"I wanted to talk to Namour, actually," he said. "He told me he was going to teach me some new knots."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't realize. We were just... talking. He's a great man."

"Yes, a hated... that is to say, great... man."

If that didn't show what Doppler thought of Namour, nothing did. She sighed inwardly. She didn't need two of her best friends fighting.

"Please, just try to respect him. If you can't manage that, at least tolerate him. For me, if not for the crew."

"Yes, ma'am," he said distantly, turning and strolling away. She sighed in unhappy thought, shaking her head. If these two didn't get their acts together, things were going to get messy.

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**Well, this was my first chapter from Amelia's POV. How was it? Oh, and don't worry. The doctor's not done yet! Have faith, my friends! And thanks for all the reviews!!! And thanks especially to Wherever Girl and crazed mind for the alien names. I'll be sure to use them! Now, you all know the drill. Say it with me, now: review!!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**First of all, I just wanted to say that I'm changing the head/body things names to Oxy and Moron (thanks, crazed mind!!!) And thanks to Wherever Girl for the names Xen, Odius, and Juhl. Now. I hope you enjoy!!!**

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**Interstellar Naval Academy, Room 21-A:**

Jim moaned, dropping his head on his desk. The clock beeped softly- three o'clock. He still had that extra essay to write.

"Keep it down, would you mind?" came Richard's nasal voice. "I'm trying to sleep!"

A grunt of agreement echoed from Rob's bed and the springs moaned as he rolled over. Jim muttered something incomprehensible, lifting his head. his hair was mussed, his eyes were bloodshot... all he wanted was to sleep, but he knew he had to finish this. He was in deep enough trouble. He glared at the numbers on the clock as if wishing he could change them. The three changed to a four changed to a ship, sailing through space, and Jim was on it, Jim and Silver and Sarah and Scroop. Sarah was screaming at him to run, and Scroop was chasing Sarah, and Silver was chasing Scroop. Everything went red as the star in front of them exploded into a supernovg, humming and buzzing and

Shoot. It was his alarm. And he still hadn't finished his essay. Complaining to himself, he picked up his bag, ready to leave, when it slid off his shoulder, dissolving into a pink, floating blob.

"Morph!" he yelled. "I am so not in the mood! Where is it?"

Morph giggled, darting under the bed and out again with his bag clutched in his mouth. Muttering sourly, Jim grabbed it from his little friend, shoving the papers in, and hopped out the door with only one shoe on. He slid into his seat in his first class just as the echoing bell rang.

"Good morning," the teacher said. She was an old candid woman, white hair tied up in a neat bun over floppy ears. She was perfectly meticulous, not a thread out of place. She was the Nautical History teacher, and he could already tell what a terrible class this was going to be. Sure enough, he could barely keep his eyes open as she began droning. He forced himself to think of how proud Sarah would be if he got good marks, but he was so tired... he made a compromise with himself and passed the time studying the red-head girl in front of him. She wasn't paying attention, either, doodling absentmindedly on her notepad.

"Mr Hawkins!" the teacher exclaimed. Jim started up, wondering just how long she had been calling his name.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Care to answer the question some time before next july?" she asked cooly.

"Er..." Jim noticed that the pretty red-head girl he had been watching had written something on her notepad and was holding it up for him to read.

_In what year did Canticleer discover Montressor?_

Jim sighed in relief, he knew this one. "23654," he answered confidently. The class burst into peals of laughter, the red-head laughing the hardest.

"Silence!" the teacher barked. "I see nothing funny about this situation. It would help, sir, if you were to pay attention to the conversation. I would have you know that the question was _who_ first constructed the solar hover board. I'll see you in detention."

**Interstellar Naval Academy, Detention Room:**

"I'll be assigning you all jobs that you'll be completing over the next hour or so," the detention administered told the small group of assembled students. Jim, and a couple of jocks he didn't know were the only ones who had received this punishment.

"Greg Smatters, you'll be assisting Jinx prepare the meals. Hank Thomas, you'll be doing the dishes. Jim Hawkings, you can take out the trash."

_Not too bad, _he thought, following the other two to the kitchen. Then the cook motioned him off into a side room and his mouth dropped. It was _full _of garbage, overflowing with it. Pizza boxes to the ceiling, discarded fruits against the walls. Bits of metals and scraps of junk lined the floor. A box full of white garbage bags sat right behind the door.

"Well, boy, what're you waiting for?" asked the cook. "Get to work!"

Wondering how on earth he was going to finish his homework tonight, Jim flung his bag on the floor and began his long, filthy task.

**RLS Bloodthirst:**

Oxy scowled out at the world from his perch atop Moron. The gears in Silver's head were working furiously- he couldn't care less about the captain or her canine companion, but anyone who touched his Jimbo was going to pay. The question was, how. All Silver knew was that he had to get to Jim before the pirates could.

"The captain's coming," said Moron. "You better be ready, Silver. If he doesn't like you, you'll be dead before you can blink.

Silver blinked.

The door opened.

In stepped an enormous alien. He wasn't fat, not at all. Actually, he was so slender it seemed impossible his legs could hold that much weight. But he was so tall, he had to stoop to clear the doorway. He was a pale, pale shade of green, almost transparent. He looked fragile- his five legs looked like glass. His two blue eyes rested on swiveling stalks, his mouth a mere slit.

"Sssilver," he whispered raspily, his voice more of a hiss. "I have heard much about you."

"Hopefully about what a good poker player I am," he joked nervously.

"Mmm," the creature said, looking him up and down. "I am Xen. Captain Xen."

"_The_ Captain Xen?" asked Silver amazed. "I heard he was- you were- just a myth!"

"I'm more than just a myth, as you can see," Xen hissed. "I'm all too real."

A brief silence descended over the hold, then Oxy spoke up, unable to contain himself. "So, boss. Are we gonna keep him or kill him?"

"Keep him," said Xen. "At least for now. He... interests me."

If Silver wasn't mistaken, Oxy seemed disappointed. Well, well, well. His old mates weren't happy to see him. Not a surprise, really. He wasn't all too thrilled about seeing them, either. Not when they were planning to go after his Jim.

"Wellllll, Moron, how about you show our new frrriend here around the ship?" asked Xen. "I have important matters to attend to. I shall be seeing you soon, Silver." With that, he turned and swept out of the room.

"Captain Xen," Silver murmured in awe. So the legend lived, too bad for him. It was going to make everything that much harder.

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**And there we are. Not much to say this time, other than please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please review!!!!!!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I have an excuse for the wait this time. The incredible THREE FEET of snow we got knocked out my internet. But anyways. I finally got it up!!!! And thanks for reviewing. I love you guys!!!!**

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**The Doctor's House:**

"BEN?" called Sarah. "I'm going now!"

"Fine!" he sighed. "Leave me here alone, to waste away into nothingness!"

"Come on," she pleaded. "Don't you want to see the Benbow?"

"No," he said stubbornly.

"Don't you want to have a bigger bedroom?"

"No."

"Better food?"

"No!"

"BEN, I don't want to leave you here alone," she said. Really, she was afraid that he was going to destroy the Delbert's house if he was left to his own devices. Besides, he could be useful in the kitchen.

"You're going to have to," he replied. "I'm not going anywhere. Maybe Jimmy will realize the error of his ways!"

She sighed. "Alright," she called up the stairs. "You can stay here all by yourself. In the dark. And silence."

"Dark?" he gulped. "Silence?"

"That's right. And cold and strange shadows."

"Cold and strange shadows?" he repeated. "You know what, maybe it's better if I come with you. Just because you want me too, of course. I mean, I can't let you go out there all by yourself! I'll- I mean you'll- get lonely!"

"Yes," she said, smiling in relief. "Very lonely. Now come on!"

"Woo-hoo!" he yelled, sliding down the banister, his suitcase spilling needless clothes all behind him. "Benbow Inn, here we come!"

**RLS Destiny, Sleeping Quarters:**

One thing that all sailors seemed to have in common was that they snored. Doppler frowned, trying to ignore the dreadful noises issuing from the bunks all around him. He stared up into the darkness, unable to fall asleep. Unable to shake the image of Amelia and Namour out of his head... she was happy when she was with him. That was the worst part. The spark in her eyes. He wanted to be the one causing that happiness, not some stupid human.

Sighing unhappily, he swung out of bed, feeling around with his feet for his slippers. Straightening his tie he tripped up the stairs and onto the deck. It was almost day, or at least, time to get up, judging by the reddish tinge to the sky cast by the nearest sun. Mumbling under his breath, Delbert turned back towards the bunks and found his path blocked by a scowling Namour.

"Yes?" asked Delbert cooly, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were up," Namour replied, just as coldly. "But as long as you are, it seems you and I need to have a little talk."

"Talk away, then," Doppler said. "I have... business to attend to."

"I'm sure you do," he smirked. "And I'm sure it's very important. I'll let you get to that. What I wanted to say- and I speak straight from my heart- that I sincerely hope we can be friends. I apologize for any unfriendly behavior I may have displayed. I look forwards to getting to know you better. After all, if Amy- that is to say, Captain Amelia- trusts you, you must be a fine man." With that, Namour turned and stalked away, head held high. And though his words had been kind, Doppler was left feeling cold all over. Edward's eyes were so _empty_. Shuddering, the doctor turned and made his way back down to the sleeping quarters, hoping for at least a little shut-eye. Needless to say, none came.

**RLS Destiny, Captain's Quarters:**

Amelia tossed and turned all night, kept awake by Smithers's sleep talking (and singing, sadly enough) and thoughts of Namour. By the time the sun was peeking through the window and she was pulling on her boots, she had decided that becoming involved with Edward again was a huge mistake and she was going to stay as far away from him as possible. So, as she pushed out of her room, a new determination straightened her back. She only could hope that it would hold.

"Doctor," she greeted formally as she passed Doppler in the halls. His eyes were bloodshot and she could barely hear his mumbled good morning. So he hadn't slept either. "I hope you're ready to begin your lessons with Namour today."

"Ready as I'll ever be," he muttered sullenly, then, catching her raised eyebrow, he added a loud, "ma'am!" onto the end.

"Good," she said. "The sooner I get you trained up, the better. Will you accompany me to breakfast, doctor?"

"Glad to," he said, offering her his arm. As he brightened up, leading her down to the mess hall, she felt her spirits drop as guilt twinged through her. She had just meant to be friendly. Obviously he had taken it the wrong way. So, as soon as she could, she excused herself, brewing up a cup of black coffee. She turned around to see Edward, far too close.

"Good morning, Namour," she said formally, trying to ignore the twist in her gut and push past him.

"Amy," he beamed, throwing out his arm to stop her. She groaned inwardly. What in the name of Jove had she done to deserve this torture? Of course, glancing up at his strong face, he had to wonder if it was torture. It would be far too easy to fall back into his arms... no. She was not going to play the damsal in distress. Not this easily.

"You will refer to me as Captain," she hissed, "Or if that is not possible, ma'am. Understood?"

"Of course," he said, taking on a wounded expression. Maybe it was fake, maybe not, but she hated seeing it on him. She relented a bit. "Or, occasionally, just Amelia will do."

"Wonderful, Just Amelia," he said, flashing her that irresistible half grin.

"You're impossible," she said, shaking her head and pushing more firmly past him.

"Amelia," he said seriously. "What did I do?"

"Not now, not here," she said. "Later, maybe. More privately."

"Alright," he agreed. "I'll find you."

As she strode away, she knew she was making a big mistake. And there was nothing she could do to stop herself.

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**Alright, you're probably on this site because you love to write. So how about this. Write me a review? Please?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Omygosh!!! I am SO SO SO SO SO SO sorry!!! A whole week late!!! To my credit, my mom took away my labtop, so that reduced my writing time, but STILL! That's no excuse! And I'm uber apologetic. Never again, I promise!!! But at least I got it up eventually. So, without further ado, chapter 10.**

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**Interstellar Naval Academy, Room 21-A:**

The stack of books on Jim's desk now measured two feet, and the stack of papers was nearly half that. Jim got back in from detention at 11 o'clock, took one look at his homework, and began composing a letter to his mother.

_Dear Mother, _ he began, and crossed it out. Too formal.

_Mother, _he wrote, and frowned. Not formal enough.

_Sarah, _but that was just weird. Finally, he decided on_..._

_Dear mom,_

_How are you doing? I miss you already. _He did. He had wanted a future. Now he just wanted his past. _School up here is a lot of work, but it's fun. _Well, at least half of that was true. _My roommates are really cool, and I'm making some great friends. _Yeah, if Richard the whiner and Rob the lump could count. _I hope you're getting the Benbow rebuilt quickly! _So I can come home. _Miss you!_

_Love,_

_Jim_

Sighing, he wrote a similar letter to BEN, slid them together into an envelope, addressed it, and licked the stamp. They could have communicated by Holovid, but Sarah was old-fashioned. Besides, at least writing letters was a good distraction. He tread lightly out into the hall, in a baggy sleep suit. Depositing the letter, he tiptoed back to his room. At least Richard had been up late, too. He was just turning the light out as Jim got back. Of course, Jim didn't think he'd ever seen Rob do any homework.

There was no way he could do all his homework well. But maybe if he half did it all... he wouldn't do particularly well in his classes, but at least he would escape detention. He picked up his Nautical homework, glanced through the pages, scribbled down a few notes. Bing. History. Fill out the worksheet quick as possible, don't think about the answers. Bing. Galaxies- draw the map as best you remember, don't take time to look in the book. Bing. Bing. Bing. Bing. Bing. He sits back, satisfied, his pile of books and papers that much lower. 4 in the morning. Time to sleep, for a good 3 hours. He crawled into bed, flipped off the light, and was out immediately.

**RLS Bloodthirst, Hold:**

Silver yawned, sitting up. He had been placed down in the hold, given a lumpy cot to sleep on. He hadn't seen the famous Captain Xen around for a while. Everyone had heard of Xen- Scourge of the Seas, Mantis of Death. He never had the same crew twice. He sailed through the oceans on whatever ship he currently ran, looting and attacking every ship they crossed. But the odd thing was that he gave his crew members each their share of the gold, chose one piece for himself, then dumped the rest and left it hanging in space. And the there was the tale of his encounter with death- some said that he had been killed in a battle, once, but returned to the Land of Lost Souls and clawed his way back to a kind of half life. Or that he had done a deal with the spirits, and received some of their powers. No one was quite sure. But what everyone did know was that he was not to be messed with.

Silver climber out of bed, stretching out first his real then his metal leg, joints cracking and gears whirring. He stood, pacing around the small room. He wasn't a prisoner, they insisted, but then again, he wasn't allowed to leave the room without one of the pirates escorting him. The ship was small and relatively simple- a captain's quarters, a brig, a hold, a kitchen, a deck, and an engine room. There were, however, some fast escape pods with fuel and food. That was how Silver was going to make his getaway.

He sighed, sitting back down on the bed. The question was, how? He could try to build the captain's trust, but that would take time. He could try to escape, but he would probably end up with a laser at his back. But speed was of the essence if he wanted to reach his Jimbo before they did. And he had to reach him. Had to keep him safe.

"C'mon," grunted Juhl, one of the dumber thugs. This guy was mainly belly and tentacles, oozing with every step he took. Silver grimaced.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Supper," he answered. A cold silence descended. Juhl filled it by picking his nose. Silver shied away.

The dining room was small, full of long wooden tables. The crew was rowdy, tossing their food around and slopping their drinks, shouting and laughing. As Juhl wandered off, Silver headed down to the emptier end of the table, took a sear as far away from the others as he could. He ate well, not knowing when he would get to eat again. _I'm coming, Jimbo, don't you worry._

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**Again, I'm sorry. Now that I have my computer back, I should be writing faster. I was wondering if anyone had any more ideas for alien names- I shouldn't need too many more, but you never know. OH! I was watching Star Trek 2009 today, and I made a Treasure Planet reference. And half the people in the room got it!!! I love my church. So anyways, thanks for reading, and please review!  
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	11. Chapter 11

**And.... duh duh duh!!! Chapter 11! Yeah! The big one-one!!! Thanks to all who reviewed. Love yas!**

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**The Benbow:**

Sarah beamed up at her new home- her pride and joy. If she couldn't have Jim, at least she got her inn. "So?" she asked BEN. "What do you think."

"Hm," he said, pulling a clipboard and pen out of nowhere, strolling along the base, examining the slats, making marks here and there. "Satisfactory."

"It's more than satisfactory. It's wonderful! The grand opening is tonight, BEN, and we already have all the rooms reserved. Not a single one left!"

"What can I do?" he asked eagerly.

"You can... you can..." Sarah got a sudden awful image of BEN, stumbling around the house, bumping into guests, breaking furniture... dropping a match... She shuddered. "How about you stay out of the way?"

"You mean you don't want me around?" He adopted a wounded expression.

"No!" she hastily assured him. "I just have a very... erm... special job for you."

Now I only have to think of one, she reflected sourly.

**RLS Destiny, Deck:**

Captain Amelia Smollet never in her life felt more alive, more at ease, more free, than on the deck of a sky ship, wind blowing through her hair, the scent of tar drifting through the air, stars and suns and moons, all around... She sighed into the wind, relaxing for the first time since Namour boarded her ship. A couple of men couldn't shake her. This was where she was meant to be.

A little ways away, the doctor was convinced she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He was unable to pull his eyes off her, red hair sailing back, eyes sparkling and alive...

"Pay attention!" snapped Namour. "You've gotten yourself all tangled again." Sighing impatiently, the sailor leaned forwards and help loosen Doppler's knot. "Again, and do it right this time."

Unhappily, Delbert pulled himself back to the present. He had to focus. He peered down at the rope in his hands, but it was blurry through his spotted glasses. Frowning, he tried again.

"Finally!" Namour groaned, stretching out in the sun. "I thought you'd never get it!" Doppler noticed unhappily how bronzed Edward was, muscles rippling under the skin. His hair windswept, his eyes singing of mischief... the human was almost unresistable. The doctor self-consciously straightened his tie.

"I'd love to hear more about your adventure," said Namour, watching the Captain bark orders. "How you found the map, how you met the captain..."

So Delbery launched into his tale, much more fully than he had explained it to Sarah. He included all the facts about the map, the ship, the crew, the island... but he left out all the emotions, and when Namour turned back to him at the end, he got the distinct feeling that he hadn't heard a word.

"You and the captain seem close," said Edward. "Good friends." The doctor nodded. "I wanted to warn you, though. In case you end up fancying her, or do already." Namour was watching him closely, observing his reaction. Doppler tried to keep his face still. "She's a cold one, Amy is," he continued. "She doesn't let others in to her heart. And once she does, there's not much room for anyone else. I'm just warning you not to get your hopes up."

"Why?" the doctor couldn't resist asking. "Because you want her?"

Namour rose and started to stalk away, then turned back to him briefly. "Yes," he said. "Because I want her." Then he was gone.

**RLS Destiny, Crow's Nest:**

Doppler found her, hours later, perched in the crow's nest. She was staring out at the sky with a strange, almost wistful expression on her face. He heaved himself in, panting, and wiped off his glasses. "I must say," he gasped, "that is quite a climb."

She chuckled, unperturbed. "For one such as you, my friend, it certainly is." Delbert stopped for a moment, having the faint sense he was being insulted but unable to figure out how. Shrugging, he decided to let it go.

"I've barely seen you since the voyage began, my dear," he said, sitting next to her. "I wanted to talk."

"Then talk."

"About Namour." Was it his imagination, or did her back stiffen fractionally?

"Speak," she said, but there was a strange, guarded edge to her tone.

"How to put this," he mused.

"By jove, doctor, just come out and say it!" she exclaimed.

"Alright, I will. I don't trust him."

She snorted. "More like you're jealous of him. You really have little reason to be, and-"

But he cut her off. "No, that's not it," he insisted. "I don't trust him. He's too... fake. He's scheming. Planning something. He wants you to like him too much, when he really doesn't like you!"

Now her face was ice. "I beg your pardon, doctor, but it appears to me you have little knowledge in the way of love. You have no idea how he feels, no idea how I feel, and no idea how you feel, so I'd appreciate it if you kept your ridiculous notions to yourself!"

"They aren't notions!" he retorted. "And if you don't believe me, I'll just have to prove it."

"I look forwards to it," she said cooly. "And now, if you'll excuse me, I have actual work to attend to." She swung over the side and was gone in a heartbeat. Delbert was left alone with the guilt, anger, and the vague sense that he'd just blown his chance.

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**Voila! Okay, folks, I've been spoon-feeding you filler long enough. Next chapter, something _exciting_** **happens. Until next time!!! Review!!!**


	12. Chapter 12

**PLEASE READ: Please keep in mind that I'm only 14 years old. I'm not the next JK Rowling or Stephanie Meyers, and I never claimed to be. I'm writing this to practice my writing and for my own entertainment, as well as for anyone else who happens to like it. No one's making you read this, so if you don't like it, don't read it. Or at least try to help me make it better. So, in short: NO MORE FLAMES, PLEASE. Anyone who's being nice with your reviews, thank you. It means a lot. And you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, which is good. But I'm going to leave the comment up, just to motivate me. Anyways. Thanks to anyone who read this, and onto the chapter.**

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**Interstellar Naval Academy, Room 21-A:**

_Dear Jim,_

_Glad to hear you're having fun! Just keep working, and wait until break, when you get to come home to the brand new Benbow! Yes, it's finished. BEN's helping out- I have him serving food in the kitchen's. He seems happy- the cook is silent, and you know how he is. We already have a lot of guests, so I'm back to working full time. I'm doing alright, though- although I miss you terribly. Feel free to bring any friends home with you! I'd love to meet them. Any girls? I heard from the doctor the other day, and apparently he's having some problems of his own. A sailor named Namare, or something like that- he has dreadful handwriting. I must go now, supper to serve. I hope this letter finds you well and happy._

_Love from,_

_Sarah_

Jim sighed wistfully, imagining the happy hustle and bustle of his mother's inn. All the different aliens, crowding and talking and laughing... his solarboard, abandoned by his bed... though there was work there, there was never so much mindless pressure as here. There, everyone helped out. Besides, he'd always had his mother there. He'd love to be back there right now.

The place he really wanted to be, though, was with Amelia and Doppler and- yes- Silver, where ever he was, sailing up through the stars on some grand adventure, the wind harsh against his face and the night black as velvet, speckled with stars. Not on some metal military monster, designed to kill, but on a wooden solar ship, out for hire. He resolved to ask the Captain why she had left the military next time he saw her.

He slipped his shoes on, not bothering to change out of his pajamas as he crept down the hall and out onto one of the bridge walkways. Though the gravity machines operated out here, they were weak, and he felt an odd pressure lift off his shoulders as he stepped into the biting air, holding onto the rail to avoid accidently propelling himself into space.

"What are you doing here?" a surprised voice asked behind him. He jumped, spinning around and almost losing his hold on the side. A girl was standing there, an odd reptilian species. He hadn't noticed her because of her dark, scaly skin.

"I came out to think," he replied, turning back out the stars, unworried. "What about you?"

"Same," she said, moving next to him, her long violet hair blowing back. He glanced down. Her dark eyes were wide, reflecting the silver prinpicks of light.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Syla," she answered softly.

"Syla. I'm Jim. Jim Hawkins. This is my first year here."

"This is my second."

"Does it get better?" he asked jokingly. But when she turned to face him, her expression was serious. "No. Not at all."

He felt his heart sink, but at least he wasn't the only one. He yawned, stretching his arms wide, and as he dropped them back into place, slid one arm around the girl. She jerked away, spinning around to face him, anger flashing.

"What was that?" she demanded.

"A flirting attempt," he joked, not overly concerned. He hadn't been having much success with girls at this school. But he surprised when she hauled back and slapped him- hard.

"Ow!" he cried, but she shouted louder. She had let go of the rail to hit him, and the connection with face knocked her back and up. As even her legs left the platform, she started yelling.

"Help! Help! Help me!"

He stared at her for a second, dumbstruck, then reacted, leaping up to grab at her feet. Unfortunately, instead of pulling her down, this just served to push them both farther in the air. Now they were both wailing.

"What is going on here?" demanded a teacher Jim didn't know, striding out onto the bridge. He took in the scene, mouth agape, then shook his head. "Kids," he muttered, and grabbed Jim's feet.

Jim sighed in relief as his feet hit the ground again, but then groaned aloud as the teacher firmly grabbed his upper arm, the girl in his other hand. "You two are coming with me," he commanded.

"Great," they muttered in unison.

**RLS Bloodthirst:**

Silver had never, ever, ever been good at creeping. Ever. Even as a child, he had been unable to determine where to put his foot that wouldn't cause a creak. And as his weight... erm... _increased_, it grew even harder. Now, as he crept through the passageways, a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. He stuck out his leg, wiggling his toes slightly before placing them against the rough board. But as he put more of his weight on it, it let out a loud groan. Shoot.

"What are you doing out?" came a suspicious voice from behind him. Silver whirled around on his metal leg and came face to face with a sullen looking old human alien.

"I'm... well... actually," he hemmed, trying to think up an excuse. "I'm on my to the kitchens! Yes, by thunder." He patted his stomach. "Got hungry in the night."

She snorted. "You need to go on a diet, young man." But without another word, she turned and disappeared back into her room. With a short muttered thanks, he continued on his way. He knew exactly where the lifeboats were, stocked with food and water and fuel- enough to get to the Interstellar Academy, certainly. And after that? Who knew.

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**Sorry it's so long this time! It was going to be twice as long, but I figured I should cut it up a bit... sorry, everyone, you'll have to wait a couple weeks for Silver's escape attempt... anways. Review, please!!!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry it's late, everyone. Been swamped with school... no excuse, I know :D**

**I don't own it. I'm sure you knew that already. Read on!!!**

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**Benbow Inn, Kitchen:**

BEN slumped against the counter, slowly scrubbing a dish. So this was his special task. He sighed deeply. He didn't want this. All he wanted was Jim. All he wanted was a friend.

"How you doing in here, BEN?" asked Sarah, sticking her head in. Strands of gray-brown hair were escaping her bun and her wrinkles were more pronounced than normal, but there was a light to her eyes and a smile on her face.

He sighed. "I'm booooored. And lonely."

"But you're being so help-" she started, then trailed off as he stared up at her with huge watery eyes. She smiled tiredly. "Alright, then," she said, holding open the door. "Come help greet guests."

Beaming and talking at the speed of light, he sped past her.

**RLS Destiny, Captain's Quarters:**

Amelia sighed, resting her chin on her hand, eyes tracing over a map but head up in the clouds.

"And when we find him," Smithers was saying, "Of course you're going to want to meet him! You two will get along quite well, I'm sure, and-"

"Excuse me," Amelia interrupted abruptly, standing up and slamming the book closed. She headed out of the room, ignoring the woman's protests. She made her way to the galley, pointedly ignoring both Doppler and Namour and sitting with another crew member. This was what she got, wasn't it, for letting others into he home? Pain. Confusion. Anger. Sadness. She shut people out for a reason, and now it was all coming back to her why.

Whether it was Edward's eyes or Delbert's smile, she just couldn't keep her heart under lock and key forever. But she was certainly going to try.

"Hello, Just Amelia," a voice said, startling her. She looked up to see Edward sit down across from her.

"Good morning, Namour."

"Why so formal? I thought we had this conversation!"

"We did." She could feel the doctor's indignant, hurt stare boring a hole in her back from across the room. She could almost see him straightening his tie angrily and smiled against her will.

"Ah, there's that pretty grin I love so much," Namour said. "I hope I'm the one causing it."

She decided not to lie. "Actually, I was just thinking about the doctor."

He smile became decidedly more strained. "Ah, yes. Him. A very... studious man. Clumsy, even, and completely inept when it comes to sailing things. Almost ignorant, and quite stubborn."

"Yes," she chuckled. "That's the doctor to a tee. And I have to wonder what he'd say about you. Charming but snobby? A tease? Oily? I have a feeling he could describe you perfectly, as well."

"I'd rather be charming than studious and oily than clumsy," he joked lightly, smiling at her. Swallowing down the butterflies in her stomach- just from the food she had eaten, of course- she took a big bite of bread. Almost choking on it, she forced down a sip of the cold tea.

"Well. That's one opinion."

"Poor man," he said, his face still a bit of a mask. "He's quite devoted to you, you know. Won't understand that you and he are just as different as can possibly be. Besides your already taken."

"I would appreciate in the future," she said, wishing to escape his soul-searing gaze, "If you would restrain from referring to me as property." She stood, leaving her dishes, and stalked up the creaky wooden stairs.

"Amelia. Amelia! Wait!" Namour pounded up after her. The sky roiled outside, a gray cloud surrounding them. It reflected her feelings perfectly- stormy and hopelessly confused.

"What?" she demanded, spinning around, a few strands of hair flying out of place, tears smarting behind her eyes. She just wanted it all to go and leave her in peace.

"Amelia." He stepped up to her, cupped her cheek in his hand, smoother over her face with his thumb. His warm skin against her felt so familiar, so _good_, that she couldn't tear herself away from him. His eyes bored down into her, imprinting themselves in her mind. Blue, a cool gray blue. Quite possibly her favorite color. At least, since meeting him.

"Please," she pleaded weakly. "Please. Don't do this."

"I can't not do this," he said, his face far too close for comfort. Then his lips were on hers.

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**Ooooh, cliffhanger, right? Sort of. In a way. You'll have to see. In two weeks.... by now you know. Do I even have to say it? Review, pretty pretty please!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, all. I know, I know, I've been negligent. Sorry!!! But at last, here we are. On to some action, at last. Oh, and I'm using the term 'candid' and 'felid' because those seem to be the fanfiction-accepted terms. The two names I've seen used for Amelia are Katherine Amelia and Amelia Smollet, and I'm going with the second. Just because.**

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**Interstellar Naval Academy, Headmaster's Office:**

"James Pleades Hawkins," the Headmaster read off his file. The girl was outside- they were to be addressed separately. Jim felt his stomach sink. "You've been up to a lot, haven't you?"

The man was a candid, but nothing like the floppy eared Delbert. No, this man was bulldog through and through. A short even haircut, spiky ears, and square jaw full of teeth, he was clearly not to be messed with. His eyes glared daggers, his arms flexing and unflexing on the stout desk, a vein in his neck throbbing. Jim sighed, spinning slightly in the swivel chair. This was just not his week. He shuddered at the thought of continuing here for years.

"Missing homework. Failed essays. Talking in class. Detention. Sneaking out at night- all in your first week. This does not bode well, young man. This does not bode well at all."

He stared at him for a moment with black angry eyes. Jim fidgeted, acutely aware of the clock ticking behind him. After 32 ticks, he decided he was expected to say something. "Erm... no, sir?"

"That's right!" he barked. "Sir. That's the idea. This school is all about respect, Jim. Respect and duty. Though your application was questionable, we accepted you after reading a recommendation from Captain Amelia Smollet, previously one of the finest in our navy. Though considering the fact that she quit, perhaps we shouldn't have listened to it... Duty, young man. Smollet obviously didn't have a firm sense of duty. And neither do you."

Jim had to practically bite his tongue to keep from arguing. The condescending look in the Headmaster's eyes when he talked about the Captain was just wrong. Amelia had a better sense of duty then anyone else he had ever known. But he figured arguing wouldn't get him anywhere now. All he could do was nod and smile and cross his fingers. What he was hoping for, however, he wasn't exactly sure...

"What to do with you?" the master mused.

"More detention?" Jim asked, then when the Headmaster shot him a pointed glare, he quickly added, "Sir."

"Perhaps," he said. "But I think I have a better idea."

**RLS Bloodthirst:**

Silver breathed a sigh of relief as he reached the lifeboats. He couldn't see anyone, and hopefully no one could see him, hidden in the dark shadows. He moved over to one, lowering both ropes, smiling as he remembered doing the same thing with his Jimbo. Hopefully, he would see the boy again, and soon. He was moving over to press the button that would open the trap door beneath his chosen boat when an eerie laugh echoed out into the room. Silver froze, the hair on his neck standing on end, slowly turning around.

Xen emerged from the shadows, long spindly legs clicking against the floor. His eyes were cold. Empty. Again, Silver's mind flashed back to the stories of Xen's death and journey back to life... shuddering, he realized that he believed every one of them.

"Captain!" he exclaimed, attempting to sound jovial, though his voice shook. "Fancy seeing you out here! I was just- ah- I thought I saw one of the sailors head this way, and... er..."

"Sssssilver," Xen hissed. "Don't bother. Where are you going to run? Off to that boy you're so fond of? Trying to protect him from us?" He laughed again, a cold, heartless sound. "You'll fail."

"What- what are you talking about?"

"I know," he said impatiently. "The crew told you. They want revenge." He sighed. "I don't particularly care for it myself, but if that's what it takes to buy their service, then I'll help them exterminate the boy, the captain, the doctor, and anyone else on their list. All I care about is getting where I'm going."

"Where you're going?" Silver gulped.

Xen smiled. "Yes, where I'm going. Land of Lost Souls. And no, I'm not going to leave you guessing why. You'll find out soon enough, won't you?"

"So... what are you going to do now? To me?" asked the pirate, edging back towards the ship. Just one button...

"Not so fast," Xen hissed, a gun appearing in his hand. "You're not going anywhere. I can use you."

Silver gulped. Use him... use him how? "Erm... I'm not particularly useful..."

"Of _course _you are. Though, it doesn't have to be you, necessarily..."

"Doesn't have to be me for what?" he asked blankly.

"Oh, didn't I say? You're the sacrifice."

Silver stared at him, open-mouthed, for half a second, then turned and dived for the lifeboat. Xen shot, the beam hit right above his head, tearing a perfect hole right through his hat. Silver didn't have time to waste, though. He lunged for the button, bullets and energy beams flying all around him as more and more of the crew awakened. He tucked himself into an odd little roll, the floor shattering on every side of him. Reaching up, he stabbed at the button, leaping backwards to avoid Oxi's knife.

There was an odd creaking, and he realized that the pirates had gotten smart and were raising the boat up. He leapt for it and missed, catching the side with one hand, dangling over the open hatchway. Grunting, he swung to and fro in the breeze, a perfect target for the weapons. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, rocked his body... and swung up. The startled faces of the aliens disappeared as it was raised higher.

"Shoot the boat!" Xen commanded. "Shoot the boat and close those doors!"

No. No. He was dead meat if he stayed here. Clutching tightly to the sides of the boat, he raised his gun, intent on imitating a move he had seen once before, and shot the ropes. Just as the boat containing the Captain and the Doctor had done, his little lifeboat plunged downwards, sliding smoothly through the open hatch and plunging down into the Etherium. As much as he wanted to sail, he heard the shouts from above and saw them righting the cannon on the side. The fastest way out was to keep dropping.

An enormous cannon ball plunged down, splintering the front of the boat, and sending him ricocheting through the air. That was it. Time to go. He forced his foot down on the thrusters and the air rushing down on either side of him slowed as the boat sped forwards, nearly sending him flying off the back. He risked a glance back and the ship was no more than a speck of light. However, he didn't slow.

It was a long way to the Naval Academy.

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**So, there we are. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up much sooner. It should be. Forgive any spelling/grammar errors, none of this has been proofread. I should really get on that... now. If you want to end war, review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Dudes. Sorry it took so long. I got no excuse. High school is not fun, for those of you wondering. That's all I'm gonna give ya.**

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**RLS Destiny, Deck:**

Doppler climbed the steps up to the deck of the ship wearily, a cup of coffee clasped in one hand and a napkin- currently being used to dab his mouth dry- in the other. All of this was really getting to much. At least they were supposed to be arriving at the border of the League of Planetnations soon, and then it was just plain dumb luck that would get them to this fantastical planet. What with Namour and all, this was turning out to be much more difficult and less pleasant than he had expected. Shaking his head in dismay, he stepped onto the deck- and saw them. Namour and the Captain.

He jumped back and peered around more cautiously. They stood close together, bodies touching. Faces touching. Lips touching. His arms wrapped around her back, holding her close to him. With a horrified sinking feeling, Doppler realized that though she wasn't exactly responding, she was far from moving away, either. As he watched, Namour finally lifted his head away, staring down into Amelia's eyes.

"Well?" he finally asked. Then she smiled.

"You are quite the charmer, aren't you?" she asked, a warm roundness in her words. It wasn't a rebuke, it was an invitation. Namour laughed out loud.

"I knew you'd see things my way," he said. "You always come around."

"Do I?" she asked. "I really shouldn't be so predictable."

"I think it's perfect," he announced. Just then, from up above, the felid boy in the crow's nest called out, "Approaching the border of the League!"

"And _that_," Amelia said brusquely, "I must attend to." Standing up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, she spun on her heel and marched up to the helm, taking hold of the wheel. Namour smiled, watching her go. Doppler stared at him, big eyes sparkling with tears. Namour turned away and the smile slid off his face, leaving his expression stone cold and empty. Delbert didn't even bother to force down the shiver. He was tired and angry and jealous. What else?

Namour strode towards the stairs then turned, seeing the doctor. He pushed past, spilling the coffee all over him. "Whoops," Namour said smugly. "Sorry 'bout that."

Without a word in reply, Delbert turned and, head hanging, trudged back to his cabin.

***Amelia stood at the helm, wheel in her hand, hair blowing back, a small smile on her face. The freedom that came from sailing through the air, far from the control of the Democracy and the League was rivaled only by the prison created by the heart. She had remembered the bad parts of Edward, forgetting how wonderful this could feel.

Edward walking onto the Destiny that day had been one of the best things that had happened to her recently, though she hadn't realized it at the time. Only one thought could dampen her happiness. And of course, it had to occur to her, wiping the smile off her face. The doctor. She didn't understand the guilt- and could it be regret?- jumbling in her stomach.

She sighed, glancing down briefly, wishing that she could just be happy without this infernal confusion. It was so _infuriating_. But she pulled her mind back to the task at hand, steering the ship around a nearing asteroid.

"Now leaving the League of Planetnations!" the felid boy called out from above. Amelia turned her eyes out to the blue sky, sparkling with silver stars. The Captain imagined that she could feel the change as left the boundary. An odd electric liberation she could breathe in. Then a voice echoed behind her that sent a different type of electric tingles shooting down her spine.

"Hello," Namour said softly. "How close are we to the Land of Lost Souls?"

"Two weeks, give or take," she said. "That is, if it actually exists."

"Good," another voice spoke up behind her, that made her feel strange in a whole different way. She turned to see the doctor, glasses polished, watching her. His voice was flat, however, containing an odd sadness. She turned back to the wheel. Had he seen?

"Yes," she repeated. "Two weeks. Then we'll see just how real this place is."

**The Benbow Inn:**

Sarah smiled fondly down at BEN, collapsed against one of the tables in the little diner, fast asleep with a trail of oil drool down his chin. His snores echoed throughout the Inn. Sarah shook her head, reaching down and tapping his shoulder. He didn't stir except to flop his head over to the other side. Exasperated in a caring way, she hooked her arms under his and dragged him, clanking, up the stairs to the attic, the place she would be staying, at least while Jim was away.

She propped him up in a chair, wondering if robots needed blankets. Shrugging, she decided he could make do without. But his snores would wake the whole household. Sighing, she balled a rag up and shoved it in his mouth, realizing that robots didn't need to breathe.

It was just another reminder, however, that he wasn't really alive, that he was just programmed. She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes, picking up a picture of her and Jim, taken a few years before his rebellious stage had hit, when he was about 11. She brushed her thumb over his face, missing him. She wanted him to be happy, of course, but she wanted him near her.

Placing the picture back, she slipped into bed.

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**I forgot to say- I don't own it. Now. Please review? More reviews mean more frequent updates, and I know everyone wants that!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hola! Again, sorry the updates are taking so long. It's AP time, if that counts for anything. I haven't forgotten y'all :D Thank you guys SO MUCH for the reviews. They mean so much. I've never gotten so many!**

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**Interstellar Naval Acadmey, Janitor's Quarters:**

Jim silently followed the headmaster, nervously glancing around. He hadn't been in this part of the school yet. It was dark, the few bare lightbulbs blinking and swinging from rusty chains. The floor tiles were cracked and broken, the walls slick with mildew and precipitation. Jim shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. "Where are we going?" he asked. The headmaster gave him a tight smile, eyes glinting.

"You are going to be helping Squelch," he said, chuckling.

"Squelch?" asked Jim nervously.

"The lowest janitor. Now, don't let him intimidate you too badly. He's a bit hard to get used to, but he has a good heart," the headmaster said.

"The lowest janitor?" he repeated, but the headmaster didn't reply, just kept striding through the dripping, echoing, miserable hallway. Finally, they reached a door, quite unlike the gleaming metal ones up in the main body. This was a wooden door, creaking on its hinges.

"Hello?" called the headmaster, rapping on the side of the door. "I have someone for you!" Without waiting for a reply, he opened the door and pushed Jim inside. The door swung shut behind him and the room was plunged into complete, pitch darkness. Jim stood, back against the wet wall, afraid to move a muscle. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the dark and he was able to make out the room.

It was small, yes, with an fire-less fireplace, a rickety wooden table, and one enormous chair. Jim was beginning to think there was no one in there when a loud 'boo!' echoed from behind him. He let out a startled yelp, leaping into the air. But there was just a wall behind him... wasn't there? He slowly turned around, hands against the wet stone, looking. He had been standing with his back pressed against not a wall but an enormous, rocky alien.

"Hello," he boomed down at Jim.

"Hi," Jim squeaked, stumbling backwards in fright. The alien stumbled forwards, collapsing into the chair with a loud sigh, accompanied by a loud clatter as Jim sent a stack of brooms flying. "Sorry! Sorry! I'll pick them up!" he shouted, diving for them and stacking them quickly against the wall. He got no response from the 10 foot alien, chugging a drink out of a flask. When he was done, he crushed it between his fingers and tossed it to the floor. "Pick it up," he commanded. Jim picked it up, staring up into the man's craggy face.

"Throw it away," he said, burping loudly. Jim cast a quick look around the room, his eyes seizing on the rubbish bin. He tossed it in, it landed with a satisfying clank.

"Good," he added. "Now pick up the mop and bucket you so carefully knocked over." Jim did so.

"Wash the floor."

"But there's no water," he objected.

"Sir," Squelch corrected.

"There's no water, _sir_," he emphasized.

"That's because you spilled it. Now you have to refill it."

"Of course," Jim muttered sarcastically.

"What was that?"

"Of course, sir," Jim corrected loudly. "I'll go do that."

He rushed over to the water spout against the wall, clutching the bucket to his chest like a shield. He filled it half way through, slopping the murky water all down his shirt, then grabbed at the mop and began with that corner. Of course, the water was so filthy that Jim had a nagging feeling that all of this 'cleaning' was just making the room that much dirtier.

"And while you do that," growled Squelch, "tell me a story."

"A... story, sir?" he asked hesitantly.

"What, am I not speaking clearly? Tell me a story!"

"Alright," said Jim, wondering if the man was completely crazy. "Once upon a time..."

**Somewhere in the Etherium:**

Silver pulled into the space port on the little desolate planet, more sand than anything. He had no idea where he was, but he knew that he needed to get instructions before he was completely lost. "Hello?" he called, jumping out of the little longboat. "Anyone here?" He couldn't see anyone, much less any other ships, but there were a few scattered buildings. Still, he didn't feel comfortable leaving the boat behind. If Xuhl was going after Jim... the last thing he wanted was to end up stranded.

"Hello!" he hollered again, getting angry. "Answer me, by thunder!"

Just then, an odd squeaking began and the sand around the edges of the wooden port began rippling. Creatures began swarming up out of the sand. They were somewhat vaguely humanoid, with two legs and arms and eyes, and a single nose and mouth. However, their skin was the same color as the ground and vaguely transparent, and their ash-gray hair stretched down their backs in a single twisting ponytail. Their legs were longer than normal, thinner, with knees higher and more curved. Their arms, as well, were disproportionate to their bodies, and their teeth were pointed, their tongues thin and forked. They spoke to each other in a clacking, clattering, squeaking language.

"Does anyone speak English?" he asked, swallowing hard. Those were some sharp claws.

"I do," one finally said, emerging. It spoke in an odd, high voice, in an almost unrecognizable accent. "What is you wanting here, Machine Man?"

"Er.... I need directions," he admitted. The thing turned around, clacked at its companions, and turned back to face him.

"Why? Where to?" it asked.

"I need to get to the Interstellar Naval Academy," he said. "There's a boy there, one in great danger. I need to help him."

It clacked again, then bared its teeth at him in what he hoped was the equivalent of a smile.

"We help Machine Man help Boy," it said at last. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Know of academy, we do."

"You know where it is?" he asked eagerly. "You can tell me how to get there?"

"Do more than that, Machine Man," it said. "Take you there, I will."

**SunLite Speedship:**

Sunlite was as close as the creature could get in translation. Silver hadn't been comfortable with the plan at first, but the translator would take him to the Academy in a manor of hours on its Teleporter Speedship, the likes of which the old pirate had never seen, in exchange for the long boat. The alien sat comfortably in the twisted, tall chair, formed to fit their bodies, but Silver had opted to stand, gripping the handrails for the life of him. "How close are we?" he asked loudly.

"80 minutes," it said calmly. "Worry not, Machine Man. I help."

"My name's Silver," he grunted. "Who're you?"

It looked up at him with big, gleaming silver eyes. "Feather," it said, and for the first time, the pirate recognized it as a she.

"Thank you for helping me," he said grudgingly.

"Deal a deal," she said, business like again. "Reach school soon."

Groaning softly, he tightened his grip and closed his eyes, resigned to wait.

76 minutes later, the ship drew to a stop in front of the enormous school, hanging in space. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

"I wait for you," Feather said. "Be quick."

Without another word, he leapt from the ship to the metal ground and, clutching at the safety rails, dashed into the school. Inside it was a metal maze, full of talking, lively students. Looking around hopelessly, he found a sign proclaiming 'Main Office' in far more languages than necessary. He skidded inside out of breath, his metal leg squealing. "I need Jim Hawkins," he gasped.

"Are you a parent?" asked the lady behind the desk disapprovingly, looking him over.

"I'm his father," Silver said desperately.

"That's odd," she said suspiciously. "He doesn't have a father recorded."

"His mother and I were just married," he said, thinking fast. "I must not have been added." When the doubt on her face didn't vanish, he added, "Ask the boy if you don't believe me. I need him now."

"Alright," she said. "I'll do that." Sighing, she pulled a mike over to her mouth. "Would James Pleades Hawkings please come to the main office?" she asked, feedback shrieking through the metal.

Silver collapsed into the chair, determined to wait.

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**Been a little while, but at least it's a long chapter, right? Now. I'll give you a cyber-Jim if you review! Plus as many cyber-cookies as I can bake!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey, all! I'm back! With another chapter! Dudes, seriously sorry these are taking so long. Losing my inspiration. Gotta go watch the movie again... don't worry, I ALWAYS finish what I start up here.**

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**RLS Destiny, Deck:**

Doppler had thought he'd feel upset if Namour and Amelia got back together. Sad. Angry. Resentful. But he just felt empty, like a balloon with its air let out. And every time he saw her laughing at one of his jokes, every time he saw him casually sling an arm around her shoulder, a little bit more of him died. He felt smaller and smaller. Invisible.

"Good morning, Doctor," Amelia greeted cheerfully.

"Morning," he muttered, staring down at a hole in his shoe. Her boots drew to a hesitant stop beside his.

"Is there... is there anything on your mind, Doctor? You seem awfully quiet lately."

He shrugged. Her feet didn't move.

"Well, if you need to talk..." Her feet still didn't move. Then another pair of feet joined them.

"Amy?" Namour asked in his deep voice."How are you, my dear?"

Delbert was overcome by an overwhelming urge to sink into the ground.

"I'm fine, thank you, Edward," she said brusquely. "And you?"

"Alright. And how's the good doctor?"

"I'm fine," he said at last, looking up at them. "I must go on now. I shall talk to you later."

And he hurried away, leaving the pair alone in the corridor. Amelia frowned after him, but Namour tilted her face up with his fingers, studying her features. "Don't worry about him," he said. "He's licking his wounds. He'll recover."

"Yes," she mused. "I suppose so. Still, I hate to see him so upset."

"Mmm," Namour agreed absentmindedly.

"We need to get up to the deck," she said at last, but he didn't move, watching her with his piercing eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you this time," he said suddenly.

"I know that," she smiled.

"I'm serious," he murmured, stepping closer. "I care about you, Amy. A lot."

"Yes," she said softly, looking at the ground. "I care a great deal about you as well."

"Mmm," he said again, tilting her face back up and placing a swift kiss on her forehead. "I'll talk to you later."

"Yes," she whispered, staring wide-eyed after him. "Later."

**RLS Destiny, Hold:**

Doppler sat at one of the wooden tables, staring mopily into his cup of coffee, lost in thought. If it made the Captain happy, then it was a good thing. Right? Then why did he feel so wrong? And it wasn't just because he was jealous. He was convinced that Namour was up to something. He didn't know just what it was, but the man wasn't what he seemed. That was clear to him. But he still had to wonder... was there actually something going on, or was it just his jealous imagination?

The table creaked as the robust Lilian Smithers sat down across from him. "Hello, dear," she beamed, reaching across to pinch his cheek. He offered her a weak smile- it didn't do to displease the purse.

"How are you?" he asked politely.

"Fine, thank you. How are you?" Without waiting for an answer, she plunged forwards. "Now, you seem very mopey lately, and I was hoping I could help. You see, whenever my son was sad, I was always very good at cheering him up! I would make him his favorite food, or sing to him, maybe. He was such a good boy. You and he are a bit alike, though he was much more athletic. He certainly shared your brains, though perhaps he looked a bit more like that Namour fellow.

"Anywho, what was I saying? Oh, yes. You seem quite down. I was thinking that perhaps I could help! What did your mother do?"

"I never knew my mother," he said.

"Oh. I'm very sorry to hear that. One of my son's best friends never knew his mother, ever, and he turned out right good, you hear? What did your father do?"

"I never knew my father, either."

"Oh, my dear. I'm quite sorry. I must be making you feel worse, musn't I? Oh, dear, I am sorry, you know. You just seemed so down and I so wanted to help..."At this, she looked so distressed that he had to speak.

"You are helping, really," he lied, giving her a tight smile. "I'm feeling much better."

"Aw, that's wonderful, dear. I do miss being a mother, and you seem like you need a bit of mothering."

"Yes, yes, smothering." He polished his glassed. "No, mothering! I mean mothering." He winced, wiping his forehead and praying to any higher power to get her away from him before he hurled.

"Well, then," she smirked. "Glad to be of assistance. Good luck with that unhappiness, dear!" With a last pat on the cheek, she hurried away and Doppler breathed a sigh of relief.

**The Benbow Inn:**

BEN woke up unable to breathe. Coughing, gasping, spluttering he spat out a soiled rag.

"Trying to kill me?" he demanded loudly. Sarah sdat bolt-upright in bed, staring around wildly. Then her eyes alighted on him.

"BEN?" she asked. "What on earth are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he sniffed, daintily holding out the rag.

"BEN, robots don't need to breathe," she sighed. "I was just trying to keep you quiet."

"You know, I find that quite offensive," he frowned. "Just because I don't have lungs..."

"Not only do you not have lungs, but you don't have a heart, or a stomach, or a brain!" she shouted. "Just go back to sleep!" She flopped over in bed, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to fall back to sleep. Frowning angrily, BEN stomped out of the room.

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**Sorry it's taking so long for there to be any action, but gimme two chapters and the group will be united! Then it will _really _begin. Now. I know I'm NOT updating nearly as frequently as I should be, but throw me a bone and review, wontcha?**


	18. Chapter 18

**Oh my gosh, you guys. Thank you so much for all the fabulous reviews! They're what keeps me writing, they really are. I never imagined this story would generate such interest! It means a lot. I own nothing. Enjoy! Chapter 18.**

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**Interstellar Naval Academy, Janitor's Room:**

"And the pirates raced off into the depths of Etherium, never to be seen again," Jim finished wearily, dropping the mop back into the bucket. "I'm done, sir. Can I please go?" This had been his fourth story, and the third time Squelch had made him wash that section of the wall.

"No," the giant alien boomed. "Wash there! And another story!"

"Once upon a time, there was a band of astronauts-" Jim had just begun when a scratchy voice came on over the loud speaker.

_'Would James Pleades Hawkins please come to the main office?'_

"That's me!" he exclaimed quickly. "I've got to go!" He practically threw the bucket and mop at the janitor.

"See you next time!" he shouted, skidding out of that prison. "Thank goodness," he muttered under his breath, jogging down the hall. What had he done this time? His mom wouldn't have come. He quickly reviewed his activities over the past hour, and quickly decided that butchering defenseless stories didn't count as a crime, and he hadn't done anything else. He finally reached the offive and, pausing to smooth back his hair from his sweaty face, entered, glancing around. Someone cleared his throat behind Jim, and the boy spun around, his eyes widening and his mouth curling up into a smile as he saw none other than Long John Silver.

"Do you know this man?" demanded the office lady.

"Yes, ma'm. He's..." Jim hesitated, unsure of what Silver had told them. "He's my father."

"He says you need to go with him."

"I do?" he asked, startled. "What for?"

"I'll explain on the way," Silver said gruffly, climbing to his feet. "Hurry."

"Morph!" Jim shouted, and the little blob crawled up out of his shirt, giggling. It flew over to Silver, wrapping itself around his head.

"Hey," the pirate crooned, stroking it gently. Then he turned back to Jim. "We need to go."

"Will he be returning?" asked the office lady.

Silver glanced at the boy, then back to the woman. "Erm... maybe?" he queried. "We don't have time for this!"

With that, he pushed rudely out of the office, Jim running after him. "Is my mom alright?" he panted.

"Huh? Oh, she's fine. You're the one I'm worried about," Silver answered as a way of explanation.

They left the building, stepping onto the space port.

"Which one is... whoah," breathed Jim upon seeing the SpeedShip. "It's... gorgeous." He ran his hand over the smooth metal. "This type is still in design!" he exclaimed, looking it up and down.

"Yeah, well, if you don't stop admiring it, you'll never see the prototype," muttered Silver, grabbing the boy's arm and dragging him up the steps. Feather turned towards them, blinking curiously. Jim's mouth opened into a perfect 'o' upon seeing her. "Let's get out of here," Silver directed.

"This human boy?" asked Feather.

"Yes! Now let's go!"

Nodding, the alien turned back to the controls and the ship began shuddering slightly, then left the metal man-made planet in a blast of smoke, moving faster than the eye could see. Finally Silver let out a sigh of relief and turned to Jim, smiling, opening his arms for a hug. Jim threw himself on the older pilot, blinking back tears. He had really, really missed him. Morph burbled around, happy in their happiness, and even Feather had to smile, though her attention remained on the controls.

"So," said Jim. "If my mother's not in danger, what's going on?"

"The crew is out for you," he said, dropping into the chair. "The Treasure Planet crew. Somehow they're out of jail, sailing with Captain Xuhl- I'm sure you've heard of him- and they're out to get you. We can find your mother, get you two into hiding until I can get rid of them." He said it without hope, even Jim could tell that. Of course he had heard of the great Captain Xuhl, those stories were endless. He was the scourge of the seas, the demon of death... the names for him were plentiful and equally terrifying. But Jim had had no idea that he actually existed. Of course, he hadn't thought that Treasure Planet was real, either, and look how that had turned out. But... go into hiding?

"No," Jim said firmly. "I'm not going into _hiding!_ My mother should be fine, though we'll need to get BEN... and..." His face turned ashen. "The Captain and the Doctor. They're past the boundaries of the League of Planetnations. No communication exists. We have to find them before the pirates reach them!"

"We're doing no such thing," Silver growled. "Are you out of your mind, boy? They can take care of themselves! You-"

"Are just a kid," Jim said, just as angrily. "Like I haven't heard that before! But who was the one who opened the portal, huh? Who was the one who saved all our lives on Treasure Planet? I'm not a child, and you can't treat me like one!"

Silver hesitated, his eyes shining. "By thunder, you're just like me. Well, I can see there's no stopping you. Let's go get your robot friend and save that captain of yours."

"Thank you," Jim said softly, turning to Feather. "To Montressor!"

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**And so, we begin. Jeez, this thing is getting long! Forgive the short chapters, all, and review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: And here we are again. Jeez, this is turning out to be long! Oh well. Things are heating up. Next chapter, y'all...**

**RLS Destiny, Captain's Quarters:**

Amelia lay in her bunk, staring up unseeingly at the dark wood, unable to shake the feeling that something was... well, she couldn't figure it out. Was she nervous? Excited? Afraid? Guilty? She couldn't quite pin her finger on the creeping, twisting sense in her stomach. Emotions were far too complicated. She rolled over, burying her face in the musty pillow, the blanket rough against her back. Realizing that she was _never _getting to sleep, she slipped out of bed, wrapping the blanket around her with a shiver, and left the room.

Where she was going, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that the cold beneath her bare feet was shaking her out of her unhappy lethargy, and the night air on her face was pulling her out of her moody stupor. She leaned over the railing, peering out at the dark, never-ending Etherium, stars and planets shining brightly, oddly shaped clouds drifting around. What more could you want? This was what was real. This was what mattered.

"Amy." The deep voice sent a shiver down her back.

"I'd like to be alone, if you don't mind," she said, without a trace of anger or bitterness. She was just enjoying the solitude, not worrying about anything, and she didn't want anyone ruining it.

"Then I'm no one," Namour said, moving next to her, slinging an arm over her shoulder. She turned to face him, her eyes wide and glowing with an inner light.

"I'd like to be alone," she repeated, giving him a small smile to show him he wasn't being rebuked.

"I can see I'm not wanted," he sighed dramatically. "Alright, then, I'll leave you to your thoughts." He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead then disappeared down the hatch. She turned back to the darkness.

She didn't know how much time had passed when the noise of someone clearing his throat echoed from behind her.

"Captain?" the doctor asked gently. "Do you mind if I'm here?"

"Not at all," she said, surprised at herself. But it was true. He wasn't invading. He was just... watching, just like her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, leaning on the rail next to her, close but not touching.

"Yes," she said softly. "The most beautiful sight in the world."

"I don't know if I'd say that," he said, watching her from the corner of his eye. "Maybe the second most beautiful."

He returned his eyes to the Etherium, pushing his glasses farther up his nose. "I'm an orphan, you know. My parents died when I was five. I grew up in an orphanage and was rather picked on, if you can imagine that."

"You? Never," she chuckled.

"I read everything I could get my hands on," he said. "But the pirate stories were my favorite. I was convinced that one day, I would sail over the Etherium with a faithful crew, amassing treasure and having grand adventures." As he spoke, he swept his hand out dramatically. "When I hit 13, I figured out that it would never come true, and I switched to astrophysics. But I never quite forgot my earliest dream... and now look where I am."

She turned. He was wearing plaid pajamas, far too big on him, and his fur was mussed with sleep. His glasses were on crooked and his slippers were enormous. She smiled fondly, a very different emotion twisting her stomach. "Yes. Look where you are now."

**RLS Destiny, Hold:**

Early the next morning the Doppler awoke slumped against the side of the ship, in his pajamas and slippers, with a blanket tucked around him. He frowned curiously- had he been sleep walking? He had thought he was done with that. But then he remembered his conversationg with Amelia and smiled, rising and heading down to the hold. He folded the blanket and set it on the ground outside the Captain's quarters, rapping sharply on the door then wandering off without waiting for it to open. He headed down to the crew's quarters to dress.

A quarter hour later, he entered the breakfast hall to find it nearly empty except for Amelia and Namour, sitting together at the long table, drinking coffee.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked pleasantly, much less jealousy bubbling up in his stomach than normal.

"Of course, doctor," Amelia answered with a smile. "Anytime." Namour looked much less happy, but he didn't object, even forcing a smile.

"How are you coming along?" the man asked. "With your duties as first-mate."

"Much better," Delbery answered. "Thanks to you." There was something almost taunting in that sentance, but either Amelia missed it or ignored it. Just then, a call came from up above.

"Land of Lost Souls ahead," called the boy from the crow's nest, sounding astonished. "It's real!"

"At last," Amelia said, a smirk claiming her mouth. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen." She vanished up the stairs, and without another thought, the two bounded after her. They were there.

**The BenBow Inn:**

"I'm so looooonely," BEN moaned, dramatically swiping a hand across his metal forehead. He layed sprawled out in a field next to the end, ignoring the tickling cornstalks and staring up at the enormous yellow moon. "Where are you, Jimmy? Why did you abandon me?"

Maybe he would run away. That would show them all! He did too have feelings, see? He was sad now. They made him sad. They were mean. Why did he stay? Disdainful humans. He sniffed.

A cloud passed over the moon, but as it drew closer, he realized that it wasn't a cloud. It was a starship. "Woah," he breathed, his eyes and mouth forming perfect circles. It landed with a thud and a burst of smoke a few hundred feet away, and a familiar head poked out the hatch.

"BEN!" Jim called. "Come on! We've got to get out of here!"

**Sorry for the short chapter, but what else is there to say? They'll get longer once the team is all together again, don't worry. Please review! Love ya!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: ... Not much to say... I don't own anything.**

**SunLite Speedship:**

The Destiny may have been fast, and it may have had a huge start, but Speedships can travel nearly parallel to the speed of light. So the journey that had taken the RLS Destiny three weeks took the SunLite just over three hours.

"Land of Lost Souls," Feather murmured, eyeing the destination as they drew closer to the Destiny. "This is real?"

Silver shrugged. "It's where they're heading, anyways."

"Silver, look," Jim breathed, peering out of the enormous window. He could see the RLS Destiny now, far away but growing bigger quickly. And beyond that was an enormous white planet. In fact, it looked like it was drifting apart...

"Clouds," BEN exclaimed, and Jim realized that the robot was right. The entire planet was surrounded by a layer of drifting cotton, obscuring it entirely from sight. But then they were consummed by another task as they pulled even too the wooden space ship. "Oh, can I get their attention?" begged BEN. "Oh, please? Can I? Can I can I can I can I can I?"

"I'll do it," Jim said firmly, clambering up the hatch as Feather slowed the ship, matching the pace. "Ahoy!" he shouted, sticking his head out of the hole and waving his arms. "Down here!"

A candid boy- no older than Jim- peered his head over the side of the ship briefly, then disappeared.

"I want to speak to Captain Amelia!" Jim shouted. The candid disappeared for a moment, then a new head poked over.

"Oy!" Amelia shouted. "Who disturbs our mission?" Then she recognized him and her face split into a wide smile. "Jim! Come aboard!"

A rope was quickly thrown down for him and he clambered up. BEN followed, then Silver, and Feather was last, tying the speedship to the side of the Destiny. One by one they dropped onto the wooden deck.

"Jim!" Doppler exclaimed, wrapping him in a tight hug. "What is your mother going to say? Oh, she's absolutely going to kill me!"

"What exactly is it you're doing here?" asked Amelia, suspiciously eyeing Silver.

"Captain Xuhl," Silver panted, doubled over with his hands on his knees. That climb had really been too much for him. He was getting old. "He freed the rest of the Treasure Planet crew and they're coming after everyone who got them sent to jail."

Doppler turned pale, but Amelia remained unfazed. "Let them try," she said cooly. "They'll have all of us to reckon with."

"I told you she'd say that," Jim said, smirking.

"But now that they have Captain Xuhl-"

"Bah," she snorted. "The stories about him are just that. Stories."

"Who are they?" a new man asked, coming up and slinging an arm around the captain's shoulders. Jim's jaw just about dropped off when she shrug him off.

"This is Jim Hawkins, Long John Silver, BEN, and... I'm sorry, I don't know you," she said politely to Feather. "They were all part of the Treasure Island crew, in one way or another. They've come to warn us that the rest of the crew is coming after us. This is Edward Namour. He's my second mate."

"Nice to meet you," Silver said gruffly completely ignoring the man's outstretched hand. Jim did the same and Doppler gave them a grateful smile.

"Feather." She spoke up suddenly, making everyone jump.

"Nice to meet you," Amelia said, politely, turning back to the helm. "Now, if you don't mind... we have a ship to land."

**Land of Lost Souls, Surface:**

As they stepped off to the ship onto the land, every single sailor gasped. The clouds reached the surface, a light fog blurring the surrounding. Huge columns of gray, craggy rock tore through the ground, and Amelia could have sworn she saw faces in the twisted stone. No sunlight reached the face of the planet, instead, a moon shone through the clouds, gray-black sky peeking through. They stepped on bare rock, not a single living thing anywhere to be found. A soft, ceaseless breeze teased through her hair and the air was cool and damp, crawling over her skin. Even Lilian Smithers was speechless.

"Alright," Namour spoke briskly. "Tie them up. We only need these five."

"What?" Amelia demanded, spinning around, but he wasn't speaking to her. Half a dozen of her crew had pulled guns from all sorts of various hidden pockets and were aiming them around the other crew members. "What are you doing?"

He ignored her. "Now," he barked, and the gun-wielders sheperded the others back onto the ship, despite loud, frantic protests of Miss Smithers.

"What's going on?" Amelia asked for the last time, voice shaking. Namour turned, hooked an arm around her just as he had done a quarter hour ago. Only this time, his grip was hard, clearly preventing her from running. The traitors descended from the belly of the ship, training guns on BEN, Jim, Silver, and Doppler, the only ones left.

"I'm holding up my end of a bargain, love," he said. "This way." Walking away from the ship, they were all silent. Finally, as soon as it was out of sight, they stopped. "And now we wait," he said, grinning broady. "For Captain Xuhl."

**A/N: Is anyone still reading this? Please please PLEASE review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Still own nothing... thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Land of Lost Souls:**

Namour and his crew sat around a fire, laughing and joking loudly. Silver, BEN, Jim, Doppler, and Amelia were tied together a ways away, under the cold shade of a rocky outcrop.

"That piece of trash," Silver growled. "Pirate filth."

"We're dooooooooomed!" BEN cried, flinging a hand against his forehead. Jim was struggling furiously with the ropes, glancing up every couple of minutes with an encouraging comment that none of the others listened too at all. Doppler was watching the pirates, thinking furiously, trying to come up with a plan that would let them delay death by at least a little. And Amelia sat silently, staring down at her lap.

Doppler finally turned around. Seeing the Captain's crestfallen face, he tried to look brave. "It's not your fault, dear," he said as gently as possible. She looked up him at last, hands shaking as they gripped the hem of her shirt, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Ceasing his work on the ropes, Jim moved to comfort her, but the doctor got there first. Folding her in his arms, he hugged her to him. She began crying harder, and Delbert couldn't help but think that this was the first time he had seen her cry. He clutched her close, a hand up in her air, whispering in her ear.

Even BEN fell silent, picking at a rust spot on his leg. Silver glanced around uncomfortably, and Jim returned to his work on the ropes with much less enthusiasm. Who else was going to get them out of this? This was the worst time for her to fall apart, but what else could they do?

"Maybe the rest of the crew will get free," Jim said hopefully to Silver.

"I wouldn't put it past that Feather," he told the boy, not sure of who he was trying to convince. Both of them? They both needed it, that's for sure.

"I was an idiot," Amelia murmured to the doctor, finally drying her eyes. She didn't pull away from him, however. "I can't believe I was foolish enough to trust him."

"Anyone would," Doppler pointed out gently.

"You didn't."

"Because I was jealous," he objected. "He was charming, sweet, he seemed sincere..."

At this, another couple of tears leaked down her cheeks. "It's my fault," she whispered. "It's always my fault. I'm never good enough. I'm just... I'm just.. I'm untouchable. Unlovable."

"That's not true," he said, brushing some hair out of her face. "Not true at all."

"Really?" she asked dryly. "My parents didn't care about me, Namour didn't care about me..."

"I care about you," he said strongly. "Don't ever think for a moment that I don't."

She chuckled, leaning her forehead against his. "That is true," she said. "I always have you."

"Whatever that's worth."

"That's worth plenty. Don't undervalue yourself, doctor."

"You don't either. Amelia." He cupped her cheek in his hand. "You're brilliant. You're determined. You're kind. You're beautiful. Whatever Namour's problem is, it's not you."

She smiled tentatively, tracing a single finger down his face. "Thank you," she said hoarsely. "Thank you."

"Um... guys? Listen, I hate to interrupt anything," Jim said, smirking. "But I got the ropes." He held up two ends. "Turns out that BEN's built in pocketknife did come in handy."

"That's fantastic!" Doppler exclaimed. "Let's go, but remember to be quiet."

One by one, they crept out and around the rock, glancing nervously at the pirates. They went unheard and unheeded, however.

"Great!" Amelia exclaimed, taking charge again. The others breathed a sigh of relief. "But we're not out of it yet. Let's get back to the ship."

**A/N: Listen, you guys, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to put this story on hiatus. It's not fair of me to force myself to write it, and it's not fair to you because I'm not even putting half of my effort into this. I'll take a few weeks, go watch the movie again, hopefully get reinspired, and return to this story ready to _write_ it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, alerted, etc., and I really do apologize.**


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